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The Lion Touched

Summary:

Almost five years after everything happened, Lance had settled into his quiet farming life. But he's starting to feel restless and the recurring nightmares aren't helping at all. And then one night, he has the worst one yet. When he wakes, the marks on his face are glowing and he knows one thing for certain. Blue has come back for him, and she needs his help.

Notes:

Hi all. This is my first Voltron fic and honestly, my first fic in about 4 years. I have too much planned. This is going to be LONG, and although the burn is slow: Klance is endgame.

If you like this, please let me know! Your comments are my motivation. I'll be adding tags as I go. Please keep them in mind.

I'm gifting this to my IRL bestie who has been my sounding board and editor for this fic. They're amazing and this fic wouldn't be as coherent as it is without them.

Chapter 1: Wake-up Call

Summary:

Lance often has nightmares. This one feels like it might be real.

Chapter Text

Lance would never forget the sound of the last roar of the Lions and the way it pulsed through his entire body, making him feel the most alive he'd been since they'd lost Allura. It had been a summoning. Come and say goodbye. He'd run as fast as he could to follow the beckoning thread of Blue's mind to his own. Red's had reached out to him next and he was both ablaze and soothed at the same time from the twining link of their consciousnesses. He nearly tripped over his own feet in the halls but a hand had caught his arm.

Keith. He'd run up beside Lance without him even noticing. They ran together in near-perfect sync, Keith's hand never leaving Lance's bicep. Lance pulled him as much as Keith pushed. In the end, he was lucky that the hand remained as he had stumbled to a stop in the courtyard, his eyes locked on the glowing eyes of Blue. He could hear the footsteps of the other Paladins around him, could feel a buzz of curiosity and inquiry at the back of his mind that he knew was them.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Blue cut him off.

If you ever have need of me, call, and I will come, Little One.

Blue had always been so gentle in Lance's mind and this was no different. He found his mind flashing through memories of them together. Of sneaking off to talk to her during his downtime, napping on her paw or nose while she accessed his mind and shared her thoughts. She had been gentle waves lifting him up, encouraging him to keep trying, showing him his worth and place on the team. He had flourished under her guidance and love. Anyone who thought that he had out-grown her had no idea who she really was. She knew that he would have been perfect for Red, he'd just needed a little help.

She pulled away from the forefront of his mind and Red took her place, although she didn't speak to him at first. He hadn't had the same connection to Red as he did Blue. Red was direct and succinct, her thoughts sharp and to the point whereas Blue's flowed and ebbed around the points she encouraged Lance to figure out on his own. Red was fiercely protective of all the Paladins, but of Lance and Keith the most. She too had left his mind seared with a goodbye. Take care of yourself, Kit. Motherly warmth flooded his mind and then...

The Lions rose into the sky and Lance had to wonder if the other paladins had had the same brief goodbyes and what their Lions had said to them. He even thought of asking but as the Lions arced off, they took with them the bond. That constant feeling in the back of his mind of his fellow paladins had been suddenly ripped from them all. They'd been linked for how many years now and now... nothing. He'd never felt a loss like it, except maybe when Allura had walked away and saved the multiverse by giving herself to it. It was a great sucking wound in his chest and a hole drilled into the back of his skull all at once.

But even then, he could still feel an echo of Allura within him. The Lions had left them but the faint presence he felt of Allura hadn't. Maybe because her love had marked him permanently.

Pidge had been the one to point out that the marks under his eyes had glowed for as long as the light trails could be seen after the Lions departed. But before they could say more, fat tears started to streak down their cheeks and Lance had pulled them in for a hug. Even though their bond was gone, an aching hole within each of the paladins there, they knew that the others were feeling the same. They came together and held one another.

This moment was how Lance's nightmares usually began.


Little One.

Lance felt little, out in the vastness of the fields at night. He didn't remember coming out here, but he had been sleepwalking as of late. Restlessness had seeped into his bones like a winter's chill that you couldn't shake off no matter how close you sat to the fire. The other ex-Paladins had found their places in the universe and although he thought he'd found his... He loved his family and he loved their farm and all the people who came and learned from them but lately he felt off. 

He walked down the lane, listening to the rustle of his bare feet in the grass and craned his head back to look up at the stars. It was late enough that the fireflies had gone to sleep and the bugs that usually sang on hot nights had quieted. He was alone with the silence of the stars and the whisper of the wind. It was as deafening as it was isolating.

A light flickered across the field and he paused. A frown curled at his lips. It flickered again and pointed at him but somehow it didn't light up the field. He started toward it, glad that it was in the direction of the field lanes so he wasn't stepping over the plants. The sound of his feet on the ground echoed too loud in his ears. A second light appeared next to it, both of them moving in sync enough that for a second Lance thought they were eyes.

So focused on the glowing eyes that were so familiar that his heart ached, he didn't notice the whispering that had started around him at first. It picked up as he moved faster toward the lights and he tried to decipher it but he couldn't understand the words. There were too many voices all at once. He stopped on his way toward the lights to look around and flinched when something tugged on the leg of his sleep pants. There was no one there. He looked down and recoiled at the sight of an inky black tendril plucking at the fabric.

Lance pulled away, his eyes straining in the dim light of the cloud covered moon. The whispers were growing louder and around him the plants were reaching for him, each one gnarled and black with wicked thorns that shone despite the lack of strong enough light. "What the...?"

He tried to step away from the searching, grasping thorns but there were more behind him. They reached for him from every direction. They grabbed at his clothes, the thorns just barely missing his skin. Tendrils tried to trip him up, thorns grabbing and pulling and every cut burned as if it were edged in the energy of Voltron's blade itself.

The whispers' volume rose with Lance's panic, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried twisting out of the grasp, trying to run toward the light. Through it all, he heard one voice in particular. It was clearer than anything else and yet he still couldn't place it.

Little One...

The pulsing ache in his chest grew, each throb in time with the pounding of his frantic heart. He reached up to cup it, rub the ache away, but what he felt wasn't the tee shirt he'd woken up in. He looked down and was granted the visual confirmation of what his fingers had felt. It was like the aftermath of a bonfire, charred and stiff but fragile under a grasping fist. His breath caught and he coughed on the ash that rose from his chest. The black charcoal spread from his heart, his clothes floating away over that mark as if it were ash from a campfire. It felt just like the ache that was always there. The loss of the bond and of the Lions had always felt like a hole in his chest. But he'd never seen it like this.

Little One...

He whipped around, trying to find the source of that voice that somehow cut through the jumble of words assaulting his ears. There was no one he could see around him, just vines and thorns that were growing and writhing around him. He could hardly focus on the voice that sounded so familiar as he fought to get away, to go to the lights that he just knew were beckoning him closer.

Lance...!

The desperation in the voice and the shock of its clarity in his jumbled mind made him lose his balance. The vines snapped tightly around him. He arched with a scream as they dragged him down to the damp earth. The scream cut off as the vines slithered into his mouth. He choked as they pressed into his throat, thorns pushing through his cheeks and lips. It burned, burned, burned. Everything in his body screamed FIGHT! as the plants started to pull him under the soil.

A blinding light flashed through the darkness and with it a roar that woke Lance from his nightmare. His room was too bright and tinged blue, the marks on his face burning with the intensity of the light shining from them.

Little One, this time, we need you.

Chapter 2: Departure

Summary:

She was here. He had to go to her.

Notes:

I've been really excited to write more and I hope you all enjoy where we are going!

Chapter Text

Lance’s heart raced in his chest as he flung off his blankets and jumped to his feet. Blue. He hadn’t felt that touch, that connection, in years. And he hadn’t been imagining it, it was still there. Faint, but real. Like a string, it tugged gently on his heart to guide him back to her. It wanted to pull him right for the same fields that he’d been wandering in his dream.

The marks on his face still glowed, the light refracting around the room as he turned in a circle and basked in the feeling of his Lion’s presence. The way the room swirled around him in blue almost made him feel nauseous. He touched one of the glowing marks, a warmth and reassurance emanating from it that he knew didn’t come from within. He wasn’t sure where it came from, but it helped slow his rabbiting heart. He took a slow breath, and then another.

Blue was here, for him, and she needed his help. As if he could say no to her.

But…

It was the middle of the night and he couldn’t just run off in his pajamas. He’d read plenty of stories in his free time about heroes and quests. They were always unprepared and it tended to bite them in the ass. Well, this wasn’t his first quest. He’d been an active Paladin of Voltron for, like, two years. Maybe three. Time had gotten really weird multiple times and it was a headache to figure things out. He wasn’t even the right age for the year he was born on Earth and—

He shook his head from that thought spiral and turned on his bedside lamp. Preparedness. Pack a bag, write a letter to his mama so she didn’t hunt him down, grab some food. Who knew what kind of supplies were on Blue (or if they’d gained some kind of sentience after sitting around for that long). He dithered on what to pack at first as he opened his bag. 

Lance took a deep breath and concentrated for a moment on the delicate connection between him and Blue, trying to get a sense of her thoughts and urgency. If he could get any clue on how long he’d be gone… But no. Nothing other than how she needed him filtered through. It had been a long time since he’d felt needed like that. It formed a lump in his throat and it took three tries before he could swallow it back down.

He moved quickly after that, a need to reunite with Blue driving him as he packed up as many clothes as he could fit, as well as his pillow. The quilt his abuelita had made for him when he’d finally come home was carefully folded and tucked in on top. He scrambled into jeans, hopped lightly to pull on his socks and boots, and grabbed his faithful jacket that had been with him through all his space adventures before. He filled it out now, but it was still comfortable and he’d like to think it’d bring him good luck.

Nearly at the door, he remembered that he needed to write a letter to his mama. And probably bring his tablet with him to communicate with his family and friends, lest they hunt him down. He grabbed it and stuffed it in a side pocket of his duffle before sitting at the desk in his room, small plants ringing the edges. The paper he found was dirty and crinkled from getting wet at some point, but it would have to do.

Mama,

The Blue Lion came back for me. She needs my help. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I will come back safe.

All my love to you and the family. Please don’t worry about me too much! I might be rusty, but I know what I’m doing.

-Lance

Short and sweet, he hoped. He could never find the right words when he needed them these days. He took a slow, deep breath, and grabbed his things, sneaking down to the kitchen. He snagged a grocery bag and the quietest non-perishable foods that he knew he could cook with. (A moment of weakness had him snatching a tamale from the fridge, something he could eat once the adrenaline wore off and he found himself hungry.) He still had plenty of practice from sneaking out as a kid to get out the back door to the kitchen without making a sound. From there, it was a quick jog out to the fields.

Everything looked too much like his nightmare. The moon was new and the stars were far and everything was shades of black that could reach out and grab him and drag him under the soil. As he looked across the fields to the tree line, he even saw the two lights. But he knew what those lights were this time, and he wasn’t going to let lingering fears keep him away from Blue.

He tore off down a lane, his duffle bag thudding heavily against his back while the food bag swung wildly from his hand. The tug between them grew stronger the closer he got and he barely bit down the excited whoop that was building in his chest. He couldn’t remember the last time that excitement like this surged through him, nor the last time he smiled until his face ached.

Lance burst through the bushes and spotted her. She dipped her head as he ran up to her, dropping the bag of food so he could hug her nose as she pressed it to his chest. “Blue! I thought I’d never see you again.” He gasped as she nudged him harder and he pressed his cheek to the warm metal. He could feel the marks glowing on his cheeks, a sharp flare—there and gone. As it disappeared, their bond came surging back so hard that he forgot how to breathe.

There she was, in his mind like she’d never left. She shared her emotions through resurfaced memories of Lance’s, the best way she could equate her feelings to his. Her joy of reuniting with him pulled up the memory of the first time he rolled down a hill when he was four, his belly swooping and his laughter high and bright. Her urgency for them to leave was a kaleidoscope of moments before fights they had fought together. Her ache of loss was the holes in his life, Allura, and the other Paladins, as the loss of their bond had weakened their friendship. Lastly, her fear of something that he couldn’t discern brought up his fears of when Keith left the Paladins to fight with the Blade of Marmora.

It was so much all at once that he clung to her and blinked back the overwhelmed tears. “Blue…” His voice cracked and he slowly pulled back and looked up into her large glowing eyes. “What… what happened? Why did you leave us? Why are you back…?”

We must go, Little One. I’ll explain when we’re away from Earth. She sat back and opened her mouth to him, letting him climb inside and see the ramp up to the pilot’s chair for the first time in years. 

Lance grabbed his things and walked in. He was fine, completely fine, until faced with the chair. He froze, his eyes locked on to where Allura had last been. The air in the pilot’s cabin even faintly smelled like her, the scent pulling memories to the forefront of his mind. He stared at the seat, his eyes burning. How could he sit where she sat; how could he take over the bond between Paladin and Lion from her? 

Comfort (his mother wrapping him up in a comforter fresh from the dryer and smelling of sunshine) flooded him from his connection with Blue. He blinked away the tears and continued past the chair and out into pilot storage so he could stow his things and… and change into his armor. He hesitated to open the door (what if, somehow, Allura’s armor was in there? How was he to face it? He’d thought that he’d found his closure and that he was fine but having to face this part of his life again, it was too much). Blue brushed his mind again, akin to a cat rubbing its cheek against him, and he opened the door. Just blue armor met his eyes.

Lance changed quickly, the armor adjusting to how he’d changed over the past four years as he put it on. It fit him perfectly, just like it always had, and it was like Blue was wrapping him up in a hug. A few steadying breaths later, and he was seated at the controls. In the semi-dark, he felt like he was in a void, one that threatened to swallow him up. Was he really going to do this? Was he the right person for the job? Uncertainty coiled in his stomach as he reached out for the HOTAS (was that even what it was really called? It was common terminology in the Garrison and it wasn’t like the other four original Paladins all from said Garrison would call it something other than Hands On Throttle-And-Stick).

The HUD flickered to life and Lance blinked away the glare of the sudden blue screen. He slowly settled into the seat, the HOTAS perfectly fitting his hands in a way that they hadn’t before when he was only a teen. “Okay, Blue.” He smiled a little as he looked around the HUD, taking in the basics of their surroundings, the weather conditions, anything that mattered when it took to getting them up in the sky. “Show me what you can do, girl.”

With a stuttered hop, the Blue Lion pushed off from the ground. As they shot off into the sky, Lance let out an exhilarated whoop.

Chapter 3: Broken Bonds

Summary:

Mend what's broken.

Notes:

It looks like I'm able to at least update every 5 days, currently. I'm working on editing 4 and writing 5 right now. And, uh, the plot has exploded for the ending at least so it's time to work on the wiggly middle. I wasn't expecting to have so much plot. This might be a very long fic. I hope you're in it for the long haul. And hey, let me know how I'm doing?

Chapter Text

“Not the smoothest take off, Blue.” Lance commented, a small frown curling the corners of his mouth as he eased back on the controls. She shuddered under him still, a sharp contrast to how they had always flown together before. And were they going slower than he remembered? Or had he just gotten too used to Red and her speed? Exiting the atmosphere was the roughest; a sharp jerk resulted in a somersault as they broke out into open space. “Blue?!” Quick reflexes and muscle memory brought them out of the roll and upright once more.

We are fine, Little One. I would not endanger you. Lance believed her, of course, but that didn’t stop him from pressing his worry at their bond. The gratitude that she pushed back was a flurry of soft looks from his fellow Paladins over their time together and it made his heart ache. He missed them so much. It didn’t distract him, however.

“What’s going on, Blue? You’ve never flown that rough before and you’ve taken some serious hits while I was piloting.” She didn’t answer, not right away. He knew she would explain, she always did if given enough time. He chewed a little on his bottom lip as he looked over the HUD, trying to find an answer while he waited for her to speak.

When we left you, it was because we had fulfilled our purpose. You no longer needed us. Lance surged upright in the pilot’s seat, about to object. We thought we had upset your lives enough. It was time for you all to be your own beings again, and we were happy with everything we had achieved together. We ventured out our separate ways, making sure that the peace you had brought was solidifying all across the universe.

It wasn’t what he asked, but Lance had so many burning questions inside him and this was one of them. He didn’t dare interrupt, especially when felt her hesitation as if she were right next to him, leaning over his shoulder with a breath caught in her throat. He held his own breath, too, afraid that all the questions bursting inside his mind would distract her from finishing her explanation.

We broke our bond to you, but promised ourselves to check on you. And then… Loss and grief and anguish washed over Lance, so great that it burned through his mind. The loss of Allura, Keith leaving, all the people who they’d met who died during the resistance… it was nothing compared to what his mind tried to comprehend now. They were torn from me, Little One. And I cannot find them alone. I need you. Together, we can find our Pride.

Lance would never say it wasn’t nice to feel needed. He had a lot of love to give and no one who wanted it. (Family aside, because family.) He’d found a connection with the Paladins, with his friends, but when the bonds had broken they had drifted apart despite him fighting hard to keep them together. 

But this was A Lot to take in right now and he still wasn’t Okay about the bonds breaking in the first place. Also, her explanation told him absolutely nothing about why she was flying rough. There were even warnings on the far, far side of the HUD, like she was trying to hide them from him so he wouldn’t notice and worry.

Frustration flooded him. “I know exactly what it’s like to lose your Pride.” He wanted to sound angry but it was messily tangled up with grief. “You took them from me.” Her shock was like ice sliding along his back and he shook himself a little to dismiss it. “Blue, you all left us and severed your bonds not just to us, but to each other.” They’d flown away so fast that the bond had just snapped and left a void within them all. It had hurt. It still hurt. 

“We’d felt each other in our minds for years and we were closer than family, and you took that from us. ” His voice broke and he swallowed hard, his hands starting to shake on the HOTAS. It didn’t mess with Blue’s trajectory out into the solar system but he still pulled them back into his lap, twisting his gloved fingers together. “I-I tried, so hard, to keep them but we’ve just… I fought tooth and nail and they left me.” He sucked in a shuddering breath as his words ran faster and almost ran together. “You all left me and every year I see them and they’re all fine, like it doesn’t even matter. Like I don’t—” He cut himself off, hands clapping loudly over his mouth in the sudden silence in the cockpit. They’d all abandoned him. He was always the one to reach out first. They’d been almost in each other’s back pockets for so long and once the Lions were gone suddenly all that was nothing to them?

Lance. Blue rarely used his name, and the fact that it almost sounded like Allura just made him hunch up more. He pulled his heels up onto the seat and wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to be as small as possible. It wasn’t hard in the vastness of space. He couldn’t push his face into his knees because of the helmet, but he didn’t dare take it off, either. Little One, I’m so sorry. You had no warning and no knowledge of the gifts you possess. It has made the severance hard on you.

Lance stubbornly didn’t reply. Questions. He had so many questions and every time she spoke he seemed to collect more. They burned in his throat but he swallowed them down. He knew that Blue would wait him out, but he could wait her out, too. He felt her offered comfort slide over him, a peace offering like a warm blanket. He sniffled and tried to wipe at the tears under the visor. It was awkward. 

I wanted her to tell you. I thought it would be easier, coming from her. But time ran out and then… We’d thought that maybe because our duties were complete that your gift returned to dormancy. We were wrong, and because of that, you were greatly hurt. Blue’s emotions pulled up an array of memories that make him hurt in different ways and they’re all so quick that he couldn’t focus on any of them.

“Tell me what?” He asked, sounding small and miserable.

Many things. Things that she didn’t even know until she had no time to tell them. If Blue could sigh, he’s sure he would feel it then. Blue’s emotions were so strong to him that he could imagine her as a being beside him, hands behind their back and shuffling awkwardly as they avoided his eyes. The strength of that bond between the Paladins was because of you, Little One. Each Paladin has a connection with their Lion, yes, and we Lions are connected together as a Pride. You, Little One, are Lion Touched. There was a reverence to her tone that made him shiver. You connected to all the other Paladins through your ability to connect to all of the Lions. The First Paladins were never so well bonded and in sync with each other as you were.

Lion Touched? He lifted his head, touching the mark under the right eye. Why had he never heard of that? With all Allura and Coran’s knowledge, surely they had heard of Lion Touched. The Lions were old, wise, but they had been created. They weren’t omniscient. So what the hell was all this?

“Did you tell… Allura? About me being Lion Touched? Or… or did she know?” He thought she told them everything, she had always been so open with the knowledge that she had. The Paladins all had their own strengths and worked best when they were honest and laid all their cards out on the table.

She knew. Blue’s voice was the lightest whisper through his mind, remorseful. But they knew little of what abilities you would have or how to strengthen them. The whole ordeal was stressful enough, she did not wish to trouble you greater.

Lance’s gut churned. What else had she kept from him? He felt like he would have benefitted from any kind of knowledge on this and not being blindsided now about it. Now that he had this information swirling in his mind? He felt sick and lost and a little bit betrayed. Slowly, he uncurled himself and set his feet back to the ground. “So… I’ve got this… Lion Space Magic or something?” He winced, his nose wrinkling a little as he said it.

Blue’s laugh rumbled through him and he found himself leaning back in the chair with a crooked smile. Or something, Little One. You are finely attuned to us. Of all beings who were our Paladins, you are the closest to being a member of our Pride. Feeling wanted had nothing on the surge of family and belonging that came with Blue’s words. No other Chosen was Lion Touched.

Lance’s stomach flipped. “Ch-Chosen?” Why did that sound painfully familiar?

Do you remember Allura and Lotor going to Oriande? How their marks glowed on their cheeks, showing that they were Chosen by the White Lion and allowed passage?

“...oh.” That was definitely a squeal. Shit. He cleared his throat and pressed a hand to his stomach, trying to breathe deep with his diaphragm and keep the panic at bay. “So then I’m Chosen? And Lion Touched?” The marks had faded back to their normal blue, but they had absolutely glowed that night, and a few other times before.

This is why I need you. It wasn’t as reassuring as Lance had hoped it would be. I can’t sense my Pride, our Pride, anymore. I hope that you may be able to find them and we can save them together.

Lance nodded, nerves about the unknown twisting his insides. “Yeah, sure, why not?” It came out much higher than intended and he cleared his throat. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Chapter 4: Pit Stop

Summary:

A stop on Mars for a checkup.

Notes:

Finally some Keith! He’s who you’re really here for, I’m sure.

Chapter Text

They made it to Mars before Lance had insisted that they touch down and let him look at what made Blue ride so rough. He conducted an internal search from the cockpit and down through her body, also taking the time to look over supplies. (And he also ate the tamale he brought with him. It was just as tasty cold as it was fresh and hot.) He found the standard repair kit and hauled it around with him, wanting to make sure he had the tools he needed with him in case he found anything.

Nothing inside that he was able to walk into showed any damages, so he needed to check outside. He palmed at his helmet to engage the full face shield and headed for the chest access. He passed the core room on his way to it and paused, just listening to the thrum and how it nearly sounded like purring. He had fallen asleep to the sound of it multiple times over the years and it was nice to hear it again. He continued on and jumped out onto the surface of Mars, the lesser gravity not quite floating him to the surface. Eh, that's what years of gymnastics were for.

Lance still felt some of the cold through his armor and as he looked toward Earth, he shivered. He’d only been gone two hours but he was already so far away from home and he was about to go even further. He’d been lonely on Earth, but now being here with all other humans so far away? He felt even more alone. He took a steadying breath and engaged the jetpack to give Blue a thorough comb-over.

I have completed a self-scan and there seems to be something pushing out my rear leg thigh panels.

“On it.” Lance jumped and boosted, heading for her left leg first. “Why didn’t you complete diagnostics sooner?” 

Even if I had, I am unable to repair it myself. It made the most sense to get to you first. Okay, fair. But he could have tried repairing her on Earth instead of in outer space. Or even the Moon, although the greater gravity (relative to said Moon) on Mars was appreciated.

“You better tell me right away next time, Blue. We’re a team. You’re all I have out here.” Lance admonished. He headed for her back left leg at first, and upon close inspection, there were some panels that looked like they had been lifted but not bent, which would have caused the drag. He pulled out a light from the tool kit to peer in around the raised panels to see if there was some kind of obstruction.

Inside were writhing, night black vines that glistened under the light. He recoiled, a strangled gasp in his throat. A vine lunged for him and he kicked away with a yelp. “Oh shit!” He scrabbled at the pack swinging at his side for a laser torch. Maybe he could burn all the vines out? “Blue… there’s these vines in your leg. They’re just like my dream…”

Blue’s silence scared him, but she pushed calm and reassurance over their bond so hard that he could almost feel Shiro’s hand gripping his shoulder. He steered himself back toward the opening, the torch in both hands straight out in front. “This won’t hurt you, will it? Burning them out?”

There are no components that will sustain damage from your torch in my legs, Little One. 

“But… will it hurt?” He knew the Lions could feel pain, although his connection had never been so strong that he’d felt it as his own. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but they both knew that this had to be done either way, so he didn’t wait for her to respond. Once he was close enough to slip the tip of the torch into the opening, he pulled down hard on the trigger. 

Lance bit down a scream when the flame lit up all the twisting vines and thorns inside the cavity. Just seeing them brought back memories of his very recent nightmare and he bit his lip as he burned them from the opening in Blue’s leg. They shone purple and pink at their brightest burn points and it almost looked familiar with how it writhed as if in pain. His stomach lurched and he pulled harder on the trigger, needing this to be over soon. 

As the vines died, their writhing slowed with a crackle that Lance swore he could feel in his throat. He kept going, burning up a whole section and watching it cool, pinkish embers winking at him. Ever so slowly he reached in, his eyes flicking between all the thorns to make sure there was no movement, and pulled out the remains. The thorns broke away into ashy dust, but the vines themselves were brittle hunks of charcoal. The glistening whatever had cooked and hardened into something sharp and brittle.

There were more sections to clear out and he needed to be very thorough. Every section he completed, he made sure to sweep out the ash into the vacuum of space. He didn’t dare leave even the tiniest smudge behind. Who knew what it could do? As he cleared everything out, he closed up panels until Blue was as sleek as she had always been. Seeing those things had left him visibly shaken and he retreated back inside of Blue, hoping to head out and put distance between him and this new, horrible memory.

You did an exemplary job, Little One. I feel much better. He sagged in the pilot’s chair and pulled off the helmet. He breathed deep but… the scent of Allura had faded. Or maybe it had just been his imagination. 

“Thanks, Blue. Let’s go.” He didn’t even ask where they were headed. He felt that he knew exactly where she needed to take him to train him. Where else but New Altea? But that meant reaching out to the others again. Or, at least to Coran. His gut clenched with anxiety. After the bond broke, it had been painfully clear that the Paladins had started to drift apart. Lance had tried to keep in contact with everyone. Everyone had new, exciting lives. They were too busy, and they had rarely reached out to him first. How was he going to do this?

‘Promise me you’ll call if you’re about to do something monumentally stupid.’ Keith. He’d said that every single time they parted since… so maybe now was that time. Maybe Keith would pick up instead of Lance having to leave a message. He took a soothing breath and straightened in his seat.

“I’m going to call Keith.” He told Blue, already making up his mind. He’d just have to go get his tablet, and probably charge it so he had some time to figure out what to— A screen popped up on the HUD to his left, a still of Keith on the screen as five colored dots swirled underneath. He looked so young then, and he was scowling in the most endearing way…

And then Lance realized that Blue was calling Keith for him. And then Keith picked up. Keith… looked unfairly good. He seemed to be in some kind of lounge area, but it could be a communal space or his own. His hair was longer, spilling over his shoulder from a low ponytail like an inky waterfall. “Lance? Hey, long time no see.”

There was something so soft in how Keith had said ‘hey’. Lance swallowed the lump in his throat, not sure when it had gotten there. “Hey man, how’s it going?” This was a perfectly normal call between two buds who hadn’t seen each other in nearly a year, no big deal. Lance even managed to keep his voice pretty even.

“Pretty well, I’ve been kept pretty busy.” Keith winced a little and even looked a little guilty. “Sorry I never managed to call you back.”

Lance waved him off with a smile that didn’t feel quite right but he kept it plastered to his face. “It’s fine, really! You’re a busy man. I’m sure if you’re not off saving lives then your mom and Kolivan are stealing you away for something.” He hadn’t dared meet Keith’s eyes yet. He knew that Keith could read him too well. After Allura… well, Keith had checked on Lance often. They’d talked a lot. And as he had gotten better, Keith had gotten busier and…

“That’s about right.” He chuckled but a tiny furrow of concern was wrinkling his brow. “Lance? Are you… uh, are you on Earth?”

Oh man, he was stuck. Lance hadn’t been able to lie to Keith in ages. “C’mon, buddy, where else…” He trailed off and glanced up, his gaze stolen and held by dark grey eyes. “Uh, so, y’know when you made me promise—repeatedly, mind you—that I’d, uh, call? Like when I made a,” he paused and did jazz hands, “drastic choice?”

“You mean before you did something monumentally stupid?” Keith asked, tone dry.

Lance bristled and sat up a little straighter. “Hey! Those might have been the words you used but this is more of… of a change in career than something stupid.”

“Uh-huh.” Keith leaned closer to the screen on his end, his gaze going suddenly very intense before he leaned back in surprise. “What the fuck, are you on the Blue Lion right now?!”

“Pfft, what? No. Why would you even—“ Okay, that look was sharp enough to pin him in his seat. “Okay, fine, yes. Blue came to get me. The other Lions are missing and she needs my help.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. “It’s kind of a long story?” The look on Keith’s face clearly said that he had all the time in the world for it. “So, uh, the Lions all have this really strong bond and they can always feel each other, right? Well, Blue can’t feel any of them right now. And apparently, I’m like, special? But also our Paladin bond wasn’t because we were hella awesome, it was because apparently I’m Lion Touched and my bond was so strong to all of the Lions that I bonded to all of you through them and when they left I wasn’t strong enough to keep us all together.”

“Oh, wow, that’s a lot.” Thank fuck, Keith agreed with him. It was a lot and honestly it’s pretty amazing that Lance hadn’t had a panic attack yet over the whole crazy situation.

“Right? And now we’re headed to New Altea so we can find the other Lions together.” He sagged into his seat a little, finally relaxing now that the cat’s fully out of the bag.

“Where are you now?” Keith was looking at something on the tablet they were having this call through, his eyes angled downward to the screen.

“Uh…? I’m on Mars, actually. Had to make a pit stop.” Another even longer story that he didn’t really want to get into right now. “We were just about to head out but, y’know, I’m a keep-my-promises kinda guy.”

Keith hummed and looked up. “I’ll meet you there.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m coming to New Altea. I’ll meet you there.”

“Nuh-uh, you’re not inviting yourself on my mission. It’s my mission!”

“What are you going to do when you recover a Lion, pilot it yourself?”

“Wh-I don’t know! I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Exactly why I’m coming. I’ll see you on New Altea, Lance.” Keith flashed him a grin, one that stuck Lance’s tongue to the roof of his mouth for some reason. The call ended before he could form any kind of argument.

“Well… okay then.” Lance sighed and reached back out to the HOTAS. “And Blue? Maybe next time don’t call people before I’m ready to call them?”

If I had not intervened, would you have been ready?

Lance elected not to answer that. He could already feel the bubbling laughter from Blue as he pulled back on the controls and they launched off into the stars.

Chapter 5: Landing

Summary:

Lance arrives on New Altea.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Lance and Blue had just made it out of the Milky Way when another call popped up on the HUD. This time, Blue magnanimously let Lance answer it on his own, letting him take a deep breath. “Hey, Coran, what’s up?” He gave the vidlink a winning smile and really hoped he wasn’t in for a lecture like his mama was sure to give once she woke up.

“Lance, my boy! A little duflax quackered to me that you’re headed to New Altea.” He at least looked pleased that Lance was on his way, which was… good. Coran was like a quirky uncle and although sometimes best in small doses, he had missed his odd stories and unending energy.

“You mean Keith.” Lance sighed. Keith couldn’t even trust him to call Coran and let him know that he was coming himself? (Like, yes, he was going to procrastinate on it because hey, the flight to New Altea without a teludav portal would be at least a week.)

“Yes, actually! He thought it might be nice if we popped up an ol’ wormhole for ya, instead of how you Earthlings say, ‘hoofing it’?” Coran looked very proud of himself when Lance gave him a thumbs up for getting the saying correct. 

“That would be really nice, actually. I, uh, I actually have some questions for you. And news. Pretty… pretty big news, actually.” Oh boy, this was more awkward than when he went to the Altean for courting advice. “I don’t really want to go into detail, uh, right now, but I need you to know one important thing—“

“That you’re piloting the Blue Lion?”

“Keith.” Lance bit out. How much had he just blurted to Coran? Did he have so little faith in Lance’s ability to speak that he had to do everything for him? Just because he was rusty and hadn’t been in combat for like, five-ish years didn’t mean he couldn’t do anything! He was so going to have it out with him on New Altea. First, he invited himself along on Lance’s quest and now this?

“That’s right! And Hunk called me this morning, so now I’m starting to wonder if I’ll get the full suit calling me before the day’s out!” Lance felt a little guilty about how excited Coran was that people had been calling him. He hadn’t put in the same efforts keeping in contact with Coran as he had with the others. And that Hunk had called Coran today but not him stung. (Of course, it was probably for diplomatic reasons but it didn’t stop Lance from being at least a little bitter.)

“Maybe.” Lance rubbed idly at the mark on his right cheekbone before clearing his throat. “I can send you my coordinates if you do want to warm up the teludav, Coran, I won’t say no to a shortcut.” He didn’t know how to explain the Blue Lion’s presence to whomever saw him but hopefully someone else would be taking care of that while he was learning everything he needed to so he could find whatever Lion was closest.

“Coming right up, lad!” Coran smiled, eyes sparkling. “I’ll see you when you’re through!” He hung up, the screen freezing on his exuberant grin. It made Lance feel even more guilty for not trying to visit New Altea more than once a year. Coran might be an Adult (capital letter A required because Lance was also technically an adult but sure as hell didn’t feel like it) but he was still a friend. Or maybe extended family, like a weird uncle, or cousin that you’re fairly sure is related to you but you’re not sure how.

The wormhole appeared before them and maybe it was because it was so quiet or maybe it was because of how much stronger his connection was with Blue now that his… Lion Touch-ed-ness was awake but he could hear it. The wormhole positively sang to him in a way nothing had before. He frowned in thought even as he pushed the controls forward and they shot through. 

The view of New Altea from space would never not be breathtaking. He’d spent nearly six months here after the universe (multiverse?) was saved. He’d always been the loudest for wanting to go home but as soon as the opportunity had presented itself… Well, he’d been in mourning at the time. He’d put all his efforts into the juniberry flowers and working with Pidge’s mother to breed them to survive on Earth, so he could take some part of Allura home with him.

Coming back was always difficult, but always worth it. And the view of it through Blue’s eyes when he closed his own was even better. He was tempted to just… do a lap of the entire planet. It was always hard to land, it made being here without her all the more real. Lance liked to lie to himself, convince himself that he was over her 100% when really he’d just hidden like a dog licking at their wounds.

It was just him and Blue, so he didn’t feel the pressure to make a joke. To say something about first love and fake-laugh it off. Allura hadn’t been his first love, but she’d been the only one that had reciprocated. That was something. He breathed deep and finally opened his eyes to look over the planet through his own senses.

It feels like home. Blue’s words were slow, thoughtful.

“Did it always feel that way?” Lance asked, curious. The Lions had been created by Alfor, so they probably considered Altea home. She didn’t respond but there was a noncommittal hum through her systems that he took as her acceptance. 

They headed for the Garden of Lions, at the center of the capital city. It was massive, sprawling and it looked like it had somehow gotten bigger since he was last here. Allura’s statue was at the main entrance of it, and the five diases that the Lions had sat upon before they left. Lance guided her to land on her dias, surprised when it lit up at her landing. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled when Blue’s response was an impression of a shrug in his mind. He stood from the pilot’s seat after Blue pulled it away from the controls for him. She crouched and opened her mouth, allowing him to exit and meet Coran who was excitedly jogging his way.

“Lance, it’s like you’ve walked off the pages of my memoir.” Lance felt like he was eighteen again seeing Coran while in his armor, the presence of Blue warm behind him. Between one blink and the next, he was wrapped up in a warm hug and found that his throat was tight.

He squeezed Coran as tightly as he dared. “I didn’t know you were writing a memoir, Coran.”

“Oh, yes, I thought I’d give it a go.” He pulled away, his hands in constant movement as he talked. “My mind’s still sharp as a tack now, and I’ve over 600 deca-phoebs to share with the universe.” He still looked early-middle-aged to Lance, so who knew how many more years he’d have to live despite the 10,000 year nap.

“I’m more of an audial person, so I hope you’re planning on recording yourself reading it aloud.” Coran always had so much energy and depth when he told stories, it was very engaging—even for a teenager with unmedicated ADHD. (It’s not like you could just get refills in space.)

Coran’s face lit up and Lance couldn’t help but grin. “What an excellent idea! I’ll have to do that, yes, yes.” He cleared his throat and tugged on the bottom hem of his jacket. “Now, pleasantries must wait. You’re here for a reason, correct?”

Lance’s smile quirked up into a lopsided grin. “Blue’s giving you a hard stare behind my back, isn’t she?”

“Too right.” They shared a chuckle.

“Let’s go for a walk Coran, I’d really like to stretch my legs, and I don’t think this is a middle-of-a-courtyard conversation.” They headed off into the Garden and Lance explained everything that he could think of, their heads bowed together a little. At some point in his years away, he’d grown taller than the Altean. It was an odd feeling.

“I wonder if Allura would have been able to sense them.” Shock colored Coran’s face, he hadn’t meant to say it. He clapped Lance on the shoulder and shook him the tiniest bit. “But, it seems like that is your gift, this time.”

Lance hummed, staring at the fine white gravel underfoot. “I just have to learn how. I should get back to Blue and see if she knows where to start. Is my old room still free? I might have to hang around for a while.”

Coran pulled Lance in for a side-hug. “Lance, my lad, I wouldn’t have you stay anywhere else. If I don’t see you at dinner, I’ll send Romelle to wake you.” Certain that Coran could see how tired he was, Lance didn’t doubt that someone would have to come and drag him to dinner. It just depended on if he’d be out here still or in a bed.

“Thanks, Coran.” He watched the Altean depart through the Garden trails, happily humming. He turned back the way they came to where Blue sat. It was nice to take his time strolling through the plants this time as he hadn’t been paying too much attention as they were talking before. There were juniberry variants all around him, ones he’d bred himself and others that had come from different crossbreeds.

Once out of the garden, he headed over to Blue, who had curled up on her dias. It looked incredibly lonely without the other Lions but that was what he was here to remedy. He stopped in front of her nose and he put a hand on his hip, the other dangling from where he had his helmet pinned to his side with his arm. He cocked his hip and grinned up at Blue. “Let’s find our Pride, Blue. Time to have a family reunion.” Her purr rumbled through him and the entire courtyard.

Notes:

Thank you to everyone who has left comments! They really mean so much to me and help me keep writing this story. I don’t usually do chaptered fics, as I worry that I’ll lose my motivation before I see it to the end.

Chapter 6: Reunited

Summary:

Lance hadn't seen Keith in person in nearly a year.

Chapter Text

Lance woke slowly when someone disrupted the warm late afternoon sun shining on him. Legs crossed in a tailor’s seat, with his helmet in his lap, he’d slumped back against Blue’s nose. He rubbed at his jaw, sore from resting on the raised collar of his armor for so long. He blinked sleepily up at his sunlight blocker and squinted. It took longer than he’d like to admit to recognize the individual who was looking down at him with the softest little smile quirking their lips. The look screamed ‘you good, dude?’

Lance opened his mouth for a totally witty retort when a very large space wolf bamph’d in front of him, their nose nearly touching his. A startled ‘eep!’ escaped him just before large paws made some very near misses as Kosmo tried to curl up and sit in Lance’s lap, the Paladin’s helmet rolling away to the side. The wolf had grown even bigger since last Lance saw him, and a whole hell of a lot heavier. Kosmo settled with a satisfied groan, his head on Lance’s shoulder, nose pressing against Blue’s. Lance sighed and just barely heard the suppressed snort over the thumps of a happy tail. Keith would probably hurt himself keeping his laughter in.

“You jackass, you stole my thunder.” He flailed his arms at Keith’s legs, not surprised at the chuckle and effortless dodge. It wasn’t like he could do much while pinned under a very snuggly wolf. Keith didn’t say anything and when Lance properly looked up, he saw him staring up at Blue with an ache in his eyes that Lance recognized well. He cleared his throat louder than necessary. “You gonna help me up?” He gestured at his very occupied lap. And chest. And pretty much his whole body except his arms and head.

Keith snorted, and made a clicking sound with his tongue that got Kosmo to perk up. He looked over at Keith, nuzzled more into Lance’s shoulder and sighed. Life was so hard for him. Humans. Wanting him to move. Keith jerked his head and Kosmo finally got up. He stretched exaggeratedly.

Lance drew a few dramatic breaths and got a wagging tail to his face for his efforts. He offered up his hands for Keith’s help. A warm gloved hand found one of his own and yanked Lance to his feet. Lance yelped and had to catch himself with a hand on Keith’s chest so their heads didn’t slam together. Once he had his feet under him, he shoved Keith hard, laughing when Keith stumbled back with a smothered laugh. “How did I steal your thunder this time?” Keith asked. Kosmo’s head was even with the edge of Keith’s armor at his ribs. He’d gotten big.

Lance scoffed and shook his head. “You told Coran! I was going to tell Coran. It was my story to tell!” Keith looked a little sheepish and a hand found Kosomo’s ears as the wolf immediately went to nuzzle and comfort him. Lance didn’t let it stay for long, already tugging Keith back in with their still-joined hands. It felt really good to hug Keith. Of course, it was probably just because he’d been missing their bond ever since it broke. Plus, Lance had always been a pretty tactile guy. Best hugger out of all the Paladins, past, present, and future. 

Kosmo shoved his head between their stomachs and Lance chuckled as he had to shift back but still held Keith as best as he could with the canine between them. It was so hard not to break away as an insistent nose was shoving up between their chest plates. Kosmo wanted in on the hug, too.

“I was helping.” Keith crumbled under the dark look Lance shot him and finally stepped back from the hug. Smart move. Lance might just swipe at him again. Kosmo sat abruptly and leaned heavily on Lance, eyes focused on him and snuffling at his chest while looking for attention. Ah, it was nice to be missed.

“Helping my ass.” He knew how that sounded the moment he said it and stabbed a finger at the smirking Blade. “Don’t start, mister.” His other hand was already buried into the ruff of Kosmo’s neck and happy wolf whines filled the brief silence between them.

Keith’s grin was full of mischief and it made Lance’s chest ache. Not for simpler times because their ‘old times’ were very, very far from simple. His life since then? Now that had been simple. Until last night. No, it ached for how their friendship had been, for when the bond still held them close. “You look good.” Keith’s words pulled Lance from his introspective turn and back to the living, breathing person in front of him. It must be that the sun was just starting to set, because Lance could swear that there was a pink tinge to Keith’s face.

“Hm?” He blinked, trying to bring up what had just been said. Blue pressed the scene from her eyes into his mind with a cheeky chuff that washed over them both and Lance fought down a blush. His hand paused in Kosmo’s fur and the wolf nosed at his ribs lightly. “Uh, thanks. You too.” The updated Blade of Marmora gear looked unfairly good on Keith, accompanied with the face and the low ponytail and Keith’s, well, everything

Dangerous thoughts, McClain. He cleared his throat and looked away toward the castle. “You call anyone else and blab about my early-twenties crisis?”

Keith rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “Not quite, should I have?”

Your flirting has certainly changed styles since last we were together, Little One. Her mirth rumbled through him and he whipped around and pointed up at the massive Blue Lion. Kosmo had to catch himself since he’d been leaning on Lance so heavily at the petting and if he wasn’t so fired up about what Blue had said, he would’ve felt bad.

“Hey, hey, no. Absolutely not. Do not start that again.” Him, flirting? With Keith? Fuck no. No, he was absolutely over Keith Kogane. There was no more school boy crush in his entire goddamn body. She had teased him enough about it when he first became her Paladin. Just because this was round two didn’t mean he wanted a repeat of everything that had happened at their beginning.

“What?” Lance looked over at Keith, confusion pulling his eyebrows together. “You… Can you talk to her? Like, not just feelings but actual words?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kosmo looked to Keith, back to Lance, and to Keith again. “...yeah?” Lance drew the word out slowly, also confused. “Couldn’t you do the same with Red when you were her Paladin?”

Keith shook his head. “Not even with Black.”

“Oh.” Lance ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the slight curls. “Huh. Well then, I guess that explains all the times Red bitched about you being a reckless kit. You sure as hell didn’t listen to her.”

The affronted noise Keith made was probably the best sound Lance had heard in months (if you didn’t include Blue’s purr because he had missed that like a flower missed the sun). “She did not.” Kosmo hopped a little next to him, clearly taking his side.

“Excuse me, who is the Lion Touched here? If you’re just gonna drop in my lap that none of you were able to talk to your Lions while I had both Blue and Red talking straight into my head for most of our time in space, then shouldn’t I be the authority here?” He crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t even try to hide how smug he was about this. “Red was constantly grumbling about her reckless kitten, which is you,” he pointed at Keith with a giant smirk on his face, “by the way.” Man, this was the best goddamn thing that’s happened to him today.

Keith’s embarrassed, spluttering retort was cut off by Romelle appearing in the nearest doorway into the castle, having been on her way to collect Lance for dinner. Lance heard the relieved sigh and snorted, turning toward Romelle.

She quickly made her way over and Lance scooped her up, spinning her with a bright grin on his face. They hadn’t gotten close until his six month stay on New Altea, but he’d like to say that they were friends now. She had been good company for when he didn’t want to be alone (which had been most of his stay. What could he say? He was from a big family and comfort was found in other people and not solitude). They would have to find some time to catch up.

Romelle linked their arms and tugged him toward the open doorway. “I hope you brought your appetite. Hunk’s influence has really improved the meal options around here.”

“Honestly, I would eat a plate full of food goo at this point. I haven’t eaten all day.” He’s fairly sure it had been at least twenty-four earth hours by now since he left. Maybe even longer. He didn’t hear Keith follow them, but Kosmo’s nails clicked on the stone floor behind them and he glanced over his shoulder to peek at them. He caught Keith’s eye and beamed at him, smiling wider when Keith smiled back.

“And after dinner, it’s time to talk logistics!” Coran piped up, making Lance damn near jump out of his armor. He flailed but managed to at least get Romelle behind him and his bayard materialized in his hand, bringing with it a shining, blue energy shield so very different than the one that was built into the Paladin armor. This one was broad and curved to protect more than one person at a time, and in the center was a stylized, snarling Blue Lion head. The intersecting lines looked like rippling eddies, making the shield hum threateningly as well as look like swirling water.

Kosmo bamph’d Keith back before either knew what was happening or what the threat was. They both were on edge, ready to fight but there wasn’t anyone to fight. Coran’s hands had snapped up to show that he was unarmed but he was largely unphased and starting to lean in to inspect the shield.

“Well! I have never seen a bayard shield like that before!” He reached out to touch it but yanked his hand back with the lion motif made to bite him. “Fascinating.” 

“Neither have I.” Lance’s voice was high, and he heard Keith echoing the same words from where he stood behind him. It took more focus to dismiss the shield than his usual bayard weapon, but it was probably just because he was exhausted and his heart was still racing from being startled. He hooked the bayard on his belt, not remembering if it had been there, or even reaching for it. “So, uh, dinner?”

A pause followed his sheepish question, but time unstuck itself and everyone continued down the hall together to go eat. Lance let the good food and friendly chatter of castle staff and his friends wash over him, the stresses of his day slowly washing away. For now.

Chapter 7: Awoken

Summary:

This time, when nightmares threaten to drag Lance under, Keith is there.

Notes:

I practically re-wrote the entire second half of the chapter. I've saved it, and I'll post it eventually as a deleted scene. If I do that often enough, I'll make a side 'story' of the deleted scenes.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

They settled in a small conference room. The table glowed softly, Coran’s fingers sliding across it to access a catalog. He expanded it a few times and dragged a few files with two fingers to flick them up onto holo screens that came to life as data lit up each display. “So, this is what I have. As you can see, it isn’t a lot. Mostly projected flight patterns from the trajectory the Lions originally took off in. I have estimated distances since the Lions didn’t start at top speed, however, I don’t know what their exact energy levels were at take-off.”

“And I really doubt any of them would have just flown in a straight line.” Keith remarked dryly, his chin in his hand. Kosmo had his face on the edge of the table, near Keith’s elbow. The wolf’s ears were perked up and paying close attention, as if he could understand the conversation.

Lance leaned over the table and tapped the star map, drawing it up into the air before them. “I have rough coordinates but it wasn’t like the connection just snapped between Blue and the other Lions.” His hands moved, pulling the known map as he needed to manipulate it and place target points, color coded for each of the four missing Lions. “It… it felt like fading. Like when you and a friend are talking but you both really have to go so you just walk backwards facing each other until you can’t hear the other person. But at the same time she wasn’t even aware of the fading until they were all gone.

“Or, no, that’s not right.” He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the loose curls and rubbing at his temple with the heel of his palm. “It was more like… sleep paralysis. You know it’s happening but you can’t make yourself react. She didn’t even know she was infested by those… vine things until it was nearly too late. That’s when she came for me.”

“Vines?” Keith asked, curious. “So what we’re fighting is organic?”

“No idea, but they wriggle and have these wicked long thorns. I’ve been having nightmares about them for a while.” He swallowed, not a fan of even thinking about it. His dream last night (was it last night? It felt like so long ago already) had been the most realistic one yet, and that was terrifying. How would his nightmares worsen the next time he slept? “They burned under a laser torch and the flames were purple and pink. Felt like normal charcoal but there was a resistance to them. Some bit of stretch and durability. Made removal a real pain.”

“Does Blue have any recollection of where she was when she was attacked? Logs and coordinates maybe?” Coran asked, intrigued by the seemingly organic assailant.

“None, it was like she was offline when it happened, but somehow she was able to drag herself out of it. There’s just a hole in her memory, all of it that she’s shared with me.” She could access his memories so easily but hers were so much more overwhelming to him, with all the sensory data she took in at all times. He wasn’t able to just waltz through her mind like he allowed her to run through his.

"So how do we even find Red? Or any of the other Lions? We can try going to your projected locations, Coran, but there’s no promise that this isn’t just some… Narunne chase.” Lance gave him a look that he hoped conveyed ‘what the heck is a narunne’ but Keith’s response-face was unintelligible. They’d never had the chance to perfect non-verbal communication, not like Keith had with Shiro, or with Krolia.

“Blue hopes there’s some deep lore, Lion Touched knowledge somewhere in the castle that might have the answer to that.” He looked hopefully at Coran who just shrugged. Lance’s shoulders sagged. “Otherwise, she’s going to teach me how to deepen our bond. Since I also had a bond with Red… we’re hoping I’ll be able to sense her. Give us a heading.”

“It seems like we should leave the Lion wrangling to you, Lance. I can show you the libraries, and I will gladly help you stock up and pack for your trip once we know how long it’ll take for you to get there.” A wormhole would help, but it really depended on if Lance could tell where they needed to go beyond a general direction.

Lance tried to stifle a yawn, his jaw cracking as he did so. “In the morning? It’s been a really long day for me, and I’m not used to quintants anymore. I’ve been spoiled by earth days for too long.” The other two nodded to him and he stood to leave, only needing to orient himself after he left. He still knew where his room was, and he was nearly halfway there when he noticed Kosmo happily trotting along beside him.

“Hey, bud, you gonna keep ol’ Lancey Lance company? Keith’s gonna miss you, I bet you’re an excellent space heater.” He snorted, making himself laugh. Space heater, hah. Space space heater, maybe. He navigated the winding halls and up far too many stairs before stepping into a small suite. The windows overlooked the Garden and he could see the faint glowing markings of Blue, curled up on her dias.

He closed his eyes. Goodnight, Blue. He wondered if it worked, if she heard him.

Goodnight, Little One. Her words rolled through him like a gentle wave and he smiled softly for a moment before turning to remove his armor. The hard pieces were neatly laid out on top of the dresser, the under armour peeled off and tossed onto the chair. He flopped into the best bed he’d ever slept in in just his underwear, sighing happily when Kosmo climbed up and curled along his back.

“Don’t drool on me, okay?” He mumbled sleepily as Kosmo tucked his nose between Lance’s neck and shoulder. Kosmo sighed and Lance drifted off to sleep.


He heard screaming as he thrashed against the drag of the vines as they fought to pull him under the soil. Who was screaming? He had to get free, tear out of these vines and save them, he had to save them. His throat burned as the vines wrapped tighter in their attempt to choke him.

“Lance!” Oh, god, that was Keith’s voice, was it Keith who was hurt? “Lance, please.” He was trying, but the vines had him gripped tight and thorns were digging into his arms, pinning him to the ground. “Wake up!”

He startled awake, his throat burning in stripes and his nails dug into his collarbones. Kosmo was laying across his legs and Keith had his arms pinned against his chest, eyes wide and faintly glowing in the darkness. Lance sucked deep breaths, his eyes flicking over Keith’s face. He couldn’t see any of it, just the familiar golden glow of Keith’s eyes, bisected by slit pupils. Slowly, he relaxed into the bed, tense muscles loosening. As he did, Keith released his arms and Lance's fingers briefly wandered to the welts on his throat. He had been clawing at himself to get the vines off. Luckily he'd been stopped before he really hurt himself. They stung, sure, but he hadn’t drawn blood.

Keith sat back, his hip pressed next to Lance's waist as he no longer needed to use his weight to pin him down. Keith's eyes wandered along his face and neck, checking him over, and flicking down at his chest briefly. Lance could only tell the direction of his gaze because his eyes still glowed. He reached out beside the bed and lightly touched the lamp, turning it on low. He could see, as his eyes adjusted, the worried pinch between Keith’s brows.

Keith opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure what to say. They just stared and breathed. Slowly, Keith calmed and his eyes shifted back to normal. He looked tense, almost like he was silently beating himself up over his lack of words. Lance had seen it on his face before, back when they weren’t friends and before he could read him as well as he could now. Kosmo moved off his legs and wriggled up the bed on his belly. The wolf’s ears were flat to his head. He whined as he pressed his cold nose to Lance’s hot and aching throat.

“I’ll be okay, jus’ a nightmare.” Lance laid his hand atop Kosmo’s head and smiled when the wolf’s ears perked up a little bit. He certainly wasn’t okay now, but he would be. Eventually. He scritched at the white fur atop Kosmo’s head.

Finally finding words, Keith started slowly. “Kosmo came and got me. You, uh, you were thrashing about.” He folded a leg up and hugged it to his chest, not looking at Lance directly. “Do… you get these nightmares a lot?”

Lance shrugged a little and wrapped his arms around Kosmo, turning toward him and away from Keith. Just a little, not enough to be ignoring him. “Not two nights in a row,” he started slowly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about this at all, let alone with Keith. But he knew he should. It could come true. He shuddered at the thought. “This one didn’t even start out how it… how it usually does.”

Keith didn’t respond for a long time. Lance glanced at him over his shoulder and discovered him having a staring contest with the wolf who had settled his big head on Lance’s shoulder. Kosmo had very good puppy dog eyes and Keith apparently knew it if the stubbornly set jaw and slightly pouting bottom lip said anything. “...why is Kosmo looking at you like that?”

He hadn’t expected an almost dramatic knock back of Keith’s head as he sighed. “Kos wants me to snuggle him, too.”

“Then come snuggle him, too.” Lance snorted and shrugged as best as he could with Kosmo’s head weighing him down. “Bed’s big enough.” And it wasn’t like this would be a new experience for them. They had slept in close quarters before. With the size of the bed, they wouldn’t even have to be that close. “And don’t ask 'are you sure?’ Get your ass in bed and snuggle the dog.”

Rather than argue, Keith carefully climbed across the foot of the bed and tucked himself under the covers on the other side of Kosmo. His eyes still glowed faintly as they flickered over to Lance’s now that they both laid on their sides facing each other. Kosmo’s tail beat the bed in a happy wag.

“Do y’wanna…?” Keith began to mumble before turning his face into the pillow to half-hide. His hair was an inky halo across the pale pillow and Lance had trouble not staring.

“If we’re gonna go on a possible save-the-world road trip together, I prob’ly should.” Lance dug his fingers into Kosmo’s ruff, the wolf grumbling happily about this development. It was slow, getting the words out. It wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed reliving while asleep, let alone awake. But he did it. He told Keith how it usually started, with their bond breaking and feeling so empty and lost. How he appeared in the field outside his home, but also sometimes on other planets they had visited before and others he didn’t recognize. The lights, the sense of needing to get to them and save them, and then… the vines grabbing him, tearing at him, piercing him.

By the end, both he and Keith were snuggled close to Kosmo. His face was tucked into Kosmo’s neck, the wolf’s head lightly atop his, helping him hide. He’d curled up tightly and counted his breaths as Keith’s hand slid up and down his back slowly in pace with every inhale and exhale. Somewhere between a gentle squeeze to the back of his neck and that hand stroking down to his waist, Lance fell asleep.

Notes:

Sorry this one is later than my 5 days schedule. Your comments are definitely my fuel for this and I'm so grateful for every one. Hopefully I can get some writing done over the holiday weekend.

Chapter 8: Rekindled

Summary:

In order to locate Red, Keith and Lance have to mend their own bond.

Notes:

Here's some kindling for the slow burn, my doves. I really hope you like this chapter and I hope to hear from you! <3

Chapter Text

Lance never considered himself big on the research department (although he did enjoy reading fiction) which would surprise everyone considering the amount of data he’d read this last week. Pidge certainly wouldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t either if he hadn’t just done it. It helped that as he had deepened his bond with Blue, she was able to slip more easily into his mind and help him process all the information. It was like when he was young and he was reading aloud to his mama to show her all the big words he’d learned.

He still hadn’t found any of the answers he was looking for.

His skill for meditation grew slowly. He fell asleep a lot less now. Blue slowly shared her vast memory with him. She wanted to ease him into the overwhelming amount of sensory data that she experienced, knowing that human senses weren’t as acute. They were as close as they could be, but Lance still couldn’t feel Red. He flopped back from where he’d been sitting atop Blue’s head. His dramatic sigh cut short when he slid off her head. Lucky for him, she reached up a paw and kept him from crashing to the ground head first.

The sound of Kosmo teleporting alerted him to Keith’s appearance. He stumbled down from Blue’s paw, smiling fondly when Kosmo trotted up to him to get pets. “Graceful.” Keith always had the best dry sarcasm voice.

“You should see me dance.” He winked. Keith seemed to freeze for a second but then walked toward him, his hands twitching like he either wanted to strangle Lance or he didn’t know what to do with them. He figured it was ‘strangle’. “What’s up?”

“Just… checking in.” Keith rubbed the back of his neck, messing up his low ponytail a little. It had been a while since they’d last talked. Well, okay, it had been nearly a whole Altean day which was nothing compared to how long they’d gone without talking before but now that they’d been seeing each other daily...

“I just…” Lance sighed explosively and crossed his arms across his chest. “I can’t get it. It’s been so long since I’ve felt her, and I…” His shoulders sagged and he hung his head. “I can’t find her. How am I supposed to have any hope in finding the others when I can’t sense Red?”

Keith frowned, thinking. “What’s your focus?” His gaze was sharp when he met Lance’s eyes. It held the intensity that Keith just had when he was trying to solve a problem he had pieces of.

“My focus?” Lance’s eyebrows furrowed together and he broke their eye contact.

“Yes. You’re not just trying to clear your mind, you’re working toward a specific goal. You need something to focus on, to guide you where you’re trying to go.”

Lance frowned and tugged at his curling hair, almost glad that it was long enough to do so. A focus. What could he use to focus on Red and her energy signature enough that he could find her? “You!” He hopped down from the dias and reached out to grab his arm. “C’mon, you’re going to meditate with me.”

Keith’s eyes flew wide as Lance began to drag him. “I-I don’t…”

“No, seriously, this should work. We both were bonded with her, and we both bonded to each other, too. I’ll focus on you and by extension Red, you’ll focus on me and Red, and we’ll see what happens.” He stopped on the dias and tugged him down to sit at Blue’s feet with him. The Lion curled around them and watched curiously.

This… might have some promise. There was a lilt of amusement in Blue’s voice that Lance outright ignored as his cheeks warmed.

“See? Blue agrees.”

“I can’t hear her—”

“Enough excuses.” He grabbed Keith’s gloved hand. “Take these off. Skin contact will be important.” Surprisingly, Keith obeyed silently, pulling off his gloves and tucking them into his belt. Lance tucked his crossed legs close to himself and scooted toward Keith until their knees touched. His longer legs made it more comfortable for him to tuck his knees slightly under Keith’s.

Taking his hands, Lance arranged them so his right hand was atop Keith’s left, and Keith’s right was atop his left. His index and middle fingers rested on the delicate skin of Keith’s wrists and Keith moved to echo the position. He curled his other fingers slightly, squeezing Keith’s hands. He grinned when Keith squeezed back.

Just like when Keith had come to comfort him that first night, Lance followed his lead as Keith breathed. Both of them calmed gradually, knees pressing tighter, fingers gripping, pulses slowing. Lance connected to the soothing waves of Blue easily and turned his focus to Keith and everywhere they touched.

Keith exuded a warmth that Lance had felt in Red, although much subtler. Lance latched onto the similarities between Keith and the Red Lion—their fire, their drive, their (frequent) impulsiveness. Lanced focused everything he had on Keith, Blue weaving her conscious into his as effortlessly as a larger wave overtaking and combining with a smaller one. On an inhale, he felt it. A tiny crackle of something at the back of his mind. He reached for it, cupping the little spark in the hands of his mental self and bringing it just over his heart. He curled around it to breathe life into it, kindle it into a proper fire.

In his mind’s eye, the flame grew and it didn’t burn his hands as it filled them. In the dancing fire, he could see a memory of a sleeping Kosmo and a sleeping… him? Oh. He knew exactly what this was. He drew his hands closer and pressed the fire to his heart, drawing Keith to him. It wasn’t every bond he’d lost, but it was his most important and he could distantly feel Keith’s hands gripping his own in the real world, a tremor in them. They calmed the moment that he reached through the delicate, one-sided bond to establish his connection to Keith.

Outside, Keith’s forehead touched his and his breath puffed warmly over his face. Lance didn’t dare open his eyes just yet. Keeping them closed was all that kept the tears welling up from spilling over. The nostalgic comfort of a campfire on the beach wrapped around him, the perfect combination of Keith and Blue gentling the overwhelming realization that he’d done it. He’d repaired the frayed bond between him and Keith. He reveled in the comforting contact and gently pushed at it to strengthen it, smiling slightly when he felt how Keith took everything he was given and held on tight. He took a deeper, steadying breath and was not-so-secretly pleased when Keith was in perfect sync with him still.

‘I’m coming, Red.’ He promised silently and pushed at his connection to Keith’s mind. A split-second of hesitance kept him back before Keith opened up and he slid his mind in just like Blue and he had practiced for countless hours. He kept himself small and compact, not wanting to touch on anything that didn’t have to do with the Red Lion. He knew Keith valued his privacy and he wouldn’t do anything to compromise that. A tenseness in his shoulders that wasn’t his own relaxed and he smiled the smallest bit.

He followed wisps of smoke and the faint sound of a large crackling fire through Keith’s mind, knowing it had to be Red. It led him to a cold, dark chasm of Keith’s consciousness, something that he wasn’t sure Keith was even aware of. It was the hole left by the ripped apart bond. He knelt by the craggy edge and lightly touched it with one hand, the other pressing over his heart and the well that led to Blue’s ocean. He could hear the fire, smell it on the non-existent wind, but where was it? There was no glow of light from it, but the edges of the chasm felt like charcoal, so maybe he was close?

Lance concentrated hard on Blue and their connection, channeling it through him and into the hand at the edge. He didn’t know what to visualize, didn’t know what he needed to close the gap between him and Red. But he knew he needed her assistance to pull her Pride member closer. He felt the rock shift under him and opened his eyes to see a platform had grown in front of him, looking like shifting smoke inside glass or some other invisible barrier. He reached out with his hand and it felt solid. It looked like he was meant to follow.

He shuffled awkwardly out over it, bare feet moving slowly as he held his arms out to balance. The smoke continued to stretch and swirl, growing in front of him and leading him across the ravine. Halfway out, he spotted something on the bridge of smoke. It looked suspiciously like a glowing crack in the smoky surface and his heart lurched at the sight of it. He stared unblinking as his heart beat in his throat. 

Keith’s hands tightened on his outside their minds and it solidified him and his determination. He moved toward the crack and saw that it was in fact just a string. He picked it up and gasped as it tied itself around his index finger, the colors of it shifting like a glowing ember and it smelled faintly of smoke. The end of it stretched out before him so far that he couldn’t see where it went, but he just knew it would lead to her.

“Red.” The string got uncomfortably warm around his finger before tugging sharply and the platform under him dissipated. He fell down into the abyss.

Lance jerked back as he came out of the bond, the sensation of falling stopping suddenly. He shivered, suddenly cold without Keith’s warmth pressing in around him from all directions. He looked down at his finger where the string had been, his hands still interlocked with Keith’s. He could faintly see it and the direction it led, down through the planet just past Keith’s hip. They had a heading. Finally.

He grinned wide and leaned back to whoop. He yanked his hands away, shaking them a little in the surge of energy he had from his excitement. Keith startled and looked a bit lost, having still been in their connection to each other. Lance threw his arms around Kosmo as the space wolf wriggled and danced about from his excitement. 

“Did you find her?” Lance hardly heard Keith over Kosmo’s growly whine as the wolf shoved Lance onto his back and laid on him. Lance couldn’t stop laughing so he just threw his arms up in the air and gave Keith two thumbs up. Keith must have done something because Kosmo climbed off him and curled up around Keith to lay down, letting Lance sit back up.

“Yeah, there was this red string and it yanked me down into a canyon or whatever but,” he brought his hand up, frowning when he could no longer see it. Of course, his connection to Keith… it had faded to nearly nothing after they had let go. They didn’t have the full quintet of Lions to bolster their connection to each other. This was all on Lance (and Blue) now. He reached out to Keith, slipping his hand behind his neck and pulling him in. 

Keith gasped softly and with a tiny, shuddering hitch. Lance didn’t let that stop him, but he didn’t draw attention to it either. Keith’s breaths puffed warmly against his neck and shoulder as he moved in closer. He pressed his temple to Keith’s and reached for their tentative connection again. As it strengthened, he could see the string reappear around his finger. 

“Can you see it, too?” He whispered, holding his right hand up between them, his fingers on Keith’s neck sliding up a tiny bit into his hair. He shuddered under Lance’s touch just the tiniest bit.

“No.” Keith’s voice equally hushed as they huddled close. “But I believe you.” 

Warmth bloomed in Lance’s chest and the smile he couldn’t stop made his cheeks ache with the force of it. He let go of Keith, his eyes staring at the string as it faded as their connection lessened. “We found her, but to keep the heading, we need to strengthen our bond. We can’t safely maintain skin to skin contact while I pilot Blue.” If there was an emergency, they’d both need to be in sealed suits to protect themselves against the vacuum of space.

“Do we need to wait around? We have our heading, we can chart it with Blue and head out now. We’re going to have to make stops for her to recharge anyway, why not practice the bond then?” Keith had a good point, but Lance’s gut suggested they at least get some hold of this before they rush out into space.

“I think we should wait. Just a week, maybe. We’ll get in some practice, and chart our heading with Coran, see where we can make stops for supplies and how often we’ll need to stop for Blue.” Keith leaned back against Kosmo, who grumbled a little and moved his head into Keith’s lap for petting. 

Keith frowned (dare Lance say, pouted?) but nodded slowly. “You’re right, of course you’re right. I’m…”

“Anxious?” Lance asked, his voice low and gentle. Mischief curved his lips as he slanted a look at Keith. “Believe me, I know how you feel. I was her Paladin, too.”

Keith huffed at him in response to his playfulness but he nodded slowly. “We should go tell Coran.”

“Should we?” Lance smiled lazily at him. “It’s such a nice day. I think we should go find a sunny spot to lay in and watch the clouds a bit, first. We could work on our bond.” He knew he had Keith with that last sentence. Keith clearly had missed their bond like he did.

In the end, Lance would say the resulting sunburn Keith endured was worth it. It was only a few minutes in a healing pod to fix up. That was nothing compared to how it felt to laze in the warm sunlight as he and Keith laid side by side, the backs of their fingers gently brushing each other. And sometimes, when they both were caught up in the feeling of the renewed bond, if Lance’s index finger hooked Keith’s and didn’t let go? Well, that was just for them.

Chapter 9: Preparation

Summary:

They're nearly ready to leave Altea when Coran gives Lance a gift.

Notes:

The chapters are starting to get longer. I don't think anyone has a problem with that.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Thanks to Coran, the Blue Lion was stocked with supplies needed for their travels and they had a plan for resupplies, recharge, and a few requested check-ins. There were even some locations that held errands from the Blade of Marmora for them. Their stops would coincide with a few planets and systems that were hard to reach outside of very specific astral alignments. The Lions communications systems had been pretty strong ever since Pidge had had their way with them.

Keith was on a call with Kolivan in the other room. The glass door was shut, but every so often he would gesture and the movement would catch Lance’s eye. He and Coran were in a room adjacent. It just so happened to be the room they had first met in when Lance had first arrived with Blue. They were double checking the list of packed supplies together. Who knew if they’d have enough close-by stars to recharge Blue, either.

“We could be gone for months. More.” If he were younger, before everything had happened, Lance would have seriously doubted his ability to do this. Now, he was the only one who could and he knew it. No pressure. “I don’t know how far to the fringes of the universe we’ll have to go, or really how long we can travel between charges.” With the Castle of Lions constantly recharging the Lions, they had never really seen how long a Lion could go without a recharge. They never even thought to test it. And their trip to Earth had been direct and much easier to plot a route with stops out on.

“Well, my lad, I can’t rightly say how long you’ll be gone.” Coran tucked a hand into his pocket and withdrew a blue wooden box, the edges gilded and the ornate emblem of Altea in the top. “But I think this will help you on your travels.” He handed it over to Lance, who took it slowly with both hands.

“Help…?” He unlatched the box and opened it. His eyes flew wide as his mouth dropped open. “I-I can’t take this, Coran.” Laid in the box was the once-Castle of Lions, now turned to a raw diamond. Both sharp ends had been neatly capped in gold, with swirling filigree to turn it into a pendant. He knew that they’d replaced it when the IGF Atlas had finished freeing major systems from Galra control over a year ago but he didn’t know it had been returned to Coran. “This… this is far too important and powerful to just… give to me.”

“Lance.” Coran’s hand felt impossibly heavy on his shoulder. “I can think of no one who deserves it more right now.” He squeezed gently and ducked his head a little as he smiled at Lance. “We don’t know what all the Castle Diamond can do. We may never know the full extent of its power. But the one being in all the universe who is most likely to use it to its full potential, for the good of all beings, is you. I want you to have it. The people of that castle would have wanted you to have it, even if only to have just one worry lifted from your shoulders.”

Lance carefully closed the box and set it aside on the table. He lightly ran his fingers over the top, overwhelmed by the flood of emotion surging through him. The confidence that Coran had in him was almost too much. He turned back to the Altean and threw his arms around him, squeezing a startled squawk from him before he hugged Lance back just as fiercely. 

“Thank you, Coran.” He squeezed his eyes shut as his thoughts raced over the list of people he knew Coran meant. The other Paladins, both generations, and the Alteans of the long past. That Coran believed all of them wanted him to have the Castle Diamond was just another feeling of A Lot to pile on top of everything else that was balanced on his shoulders. How much more could he carry?

“I’ll keep it safe.” He swore as he pulled back, his eyes slightly wet. He cleared his throat a few times. “I, uh, I better cross reference the list with what we have loaded up.” He picked up his tablet and didn’t throw up a fuss when Coran attempted the fond gesture of ruffling his hair. He picked the box back up as he left and tucked it into the pocket of his jacket, his fingers tracing over the design his entire walk out to the courtyard.

Blue perked up the moment he stepped out into the fading sunlight. She was almost always present in his mind now, his strongest bond would always be with her. What did he give you?

The Castle Diamond. He offered the memory of it, both floating in space and just now when he’d seen it in the box. It was so easy a gesture, like shooting finger guns or high-fiving Hunk. Automatic.

That was the feeling of home I had when we arrived. It’s so strong now. Her feelings washed over him and homesickness reared its ugly head. Why did he only feel homesick when he didn’t have the choice to go home? Lance sighed and rested his forehead against Blue’s nose as she had lowered her head when he neared. The cool metal was soothing.

Coran thinks it will help keep you and the other Lions powered. Which, y’know, good. We’re going to need every advantage we can get. His nightmares had let up some, but he wondered if it was because Keith had been keeping close almost constantly to strengthen their bond. They had slept together in Lance’s bed every night since his first nightmare on Altea.

Blue replied but Lance missed it, the telltale bamph of Kosmo appearing behind him was his only warning before his knees were taken out by a mischievous wolf. Before he hit the ground, a firm arm wrapped around his waist from behind and caught him as the now-familiar warmth of his connection to Keith flared back to life. 

Their practice with their bond had progressed to no longer needing skin contact. Standing close together was all that they needed now, which was good enough for the both of them as far as going out to find Red. They could practice more during their travels, which meant that heading out soon was on the agenda.

“Hey.” Their connection brought extra warmth to Keith’s short greeting and why did it make Lance’s heart skip a beat?

“Hey. Kolivan and Krolia happy with our route?” He regained his footing and stepped back and out of Keith’s supportive embrace. He knelt for Kosmo, who nosed under his chin before stretching out and sitting, content to listen to their conversation. Lance ruffled his ears with both hands.

“More or less.” Keith shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. It had never stopped being his default pose and the nostalgia of it tugged a smile onto Lance’s mouth. “There’s a few detours my mom would like us to go on, if we make good time. They haven’t heard anything from Toldarr for a few years now and they were one of the first places that we helped as relief.”

“I say we visit Toldarr, then. Coran solved our power issue, so our travel time will be quicker.” No needing to wait a couple days for a fully charged Lion.

“Really? How?” Keith shook his head and scoffed when Lance gave him his best ‘it’s a secret’ face. Lance bit back a chuckle when he waggled his eyebrows just to get another reaction. He didn’t move from his crouch in front of Kosmo, even when Keith slowly pushed him over with his boot. It did make him laugh.

“Rude!” He leaned back on his palms, leaning away when Kosmo went to lick his face.

“I mean, have you met me?” Keith deadpanned.

Lance spluttered and pushed himself back onto his feet. “Was that a joke?” He asked excitedly.

“You’re delusional.” He turned away, crossing his arms again.

“Aw, back to mean-Keith.” Lance pouted and looked down to Kosmo. He did his pouty-talk-to-babies voice. “We don’t like mean-Keith.” Lance stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and tried to be the ‘aw-shucks-iest’ that he could be. Kosmo leaned against him at just the right time to really sell it.

Keith’s arms slowly uncrossed and his brows started to furrow in worry. “Am I…?”

Guilt and a bitter self-consciousness that Lance knew wasn’t his own creeped in cold at the back of his mind. He jerked forward, disrupting the leaning wolf. His hands came up in a placating gesture, as if he hoped to soothe the hurt of his words physically. “No! No, no. It was… c’mon Keith, banter. Playful. Teasing. Don’t get me wrong, all the, uh,” his cheeks started to warm, “closeness and deep meaningful talks were great and all but I also missed this.” He felt like he was tripping over his tongue. The words didn’t taste right but despite how open they’d been with each other all week he was having troubles still. “The—the dry wit and the friendly jabs. Our… old normal, I guess.”

He missed their old normal. He missed his old normal with all of his friends. Things had changed so much between him and Keith. So much that he had almost hoped… Well, it had been a silly hope, anyway. And best forgotten. He didn’t need history to rear its head and mess up what they had now, even if it wasn’t quite what he wanted.

Keith smiled just a little bit, but Lance knew that some of Keith’s best smiles were these ones. The private ones that seemed like they were just for him. “Yeah. You… you know me when I’m in serious mode. Takes at least one Voltron Lion to drag me out of it.”

Lance’s answering smile was just as small, just as soft, and seeing Keith’s grow because of it made Lance’s chest ache in a way he refused to acknowledge. “Good news, I’m an honorary one.”

Keith snorted and rolled his eyes. “Sure you are, Lance.”

“I am! Ask Blue, she’ll vouch for me.” He pointedly ignored Keith’s ‘how the fuck would I even do that’ look because, duh, that was the point. He did look up at Blue as she turned her head toward him. “I wish you had eyebrows some days,” he told her. “You would have some killer expressions.”

Be careful, Little One, I have a feeling that you would not enjoy me having the ability to talk to Keith. Mirth sparkled in her eyes and the laughter she shared with him was a mixture of great times shared in the Castle of Lions and when Luis had pinned him to the floor while their sisters had tickled Lance relentlessly. 

Lance slapped his hand over his heart. “Blue, I am wounded. Keith, ignore her, she’s got nothing important to say to you. Now, c’mon, we need to double check our supplies. Didn’t you want to leave first thing in the morning?” He turned toward Blue as she lowered her head and opened her mouth. “Such a slacker.” He skipped up the ram into the cockpit. “I don’t know how we’re going to keep track of our schedule if you’re—” He squawked as Keith’s arm wrapped around his neck and dragged him in, fingers ruffling his hair and tangling the curls. 

Keith released him as smoothly as he’d grabbed him and headed into the neck and into storage, Kosmo following at a distance as he snuffled every bit of the interior. “C’mon, Lance, I don’t have all day.”

Huffing and trying to tame his hair (maybe he should cut it shorter like how he used to wear it? But his mama always loved his curls), Lance followed him with a grumble. He watched as Keith stumbled a little when Blue moved to settle down and allow them easily into her torso. His connection to her was more than just talking. They were an extension of each other when they focused and it made navigating inside her seamless even as she moved.

“Graceful.” He opened the door in storage, the floor blue lined with yellow lights at the base of the white floor-to-ceiling lockers. Each had a screen the width of Lance’s hands side by side so they could check the contents without opening the doors. Of course, since they weren’t in motion, it was best to visually check everything over.

“No, you.” Keith muttered. They both chuckled at the horrible comeback.

Although Lance had just opened a locker, he closed it and turned to Keith. “The power issue. Power non-issue, I guess.” 

Keith slowly raised an eyebrow and when that didn’t immediately prompt a response he nodded a little. “Yes…?”

“I just didn’t want to say it out in the open, or whatever.” He pulled out the box, staring down at it with apprehension. Coran was right. They didn’t know the full power of the Diamond, so how was he supposed to know what to do with it? It wasn’t like it came with a manual. He took a shaky breath and looked up at Keith. Cautious neutrality was written all over Keith’s face as he looked from Lance to the box in his hand. Lance shoved the box at him without elaborating.

Keith took it and opened the latch with gentle fingers. Lance trusted him to know the worth and importance of the item without him having to say anything about it. The silence around them was deafening and if it wasn’t for Blue bringing the sound of sea waves to the forefront of his mind, Lance might not have kept his calm this well. Still, instead of breathing with the waves like the Blue Lion wanted, he held his breath and watched Keith.

His fellow Paladin didn’t disappoint. The soft gasp, the glint in his eyes where the Diamond reflected the internal lights at him. “Lance. This is—”

“I know. And it’s another Big Deal piled on top of the other Big Deals going on and—” He sucked in a big breath and tried not to choke on it.

“It’s a lot.”

Lance exhaled shakily. “Yeah.” A Lot.

“So he gave this to you just to charge the Lions?” Keith closed and latched it, handing it back to Lance. He didn’t say anything when Lance hugged the box to his chest.

“No.” He stroked his thumb over the silky smooth bottom of the box like it was a worry stone. “Coran thinks that it might have other, uh, abilities? But it’s not confirmed. He doesn’t know, he just has a gut feeling or something. Blue doesn’t know either.”

“Right.” The pause drew out between them as they both didn’t know what to say. “It’s not like it’s the first magical space rock we’ve dealt with. We’ll figure this out.”

Lance chuckled the tiniest bit, appreciating Keith’s efforts. “Yeah. Thanks, man. How about we… let Future-Lance and Future-Keith worry about it? Right now, we’ve got inventory to do and the sooner we get that done, the sooner I can go for a last-chance swim.” He hadn’t gotten around to it yet and who knew when they’d next be on a planet with a human-safe swimmable liquid?

Keith scoffed but his heart wasn’t really in it. “Voltron forbid you miss the chance to swim.”

“Did… did you just take Voltron’s name in vain?”

Neither of them responded beyond laughter, Kosmo looking between them, his head cocked to one side in confusion.

Notes:

Thank you all for all the wonderful comments last chapter. I've noticed that I get more when you're getting the shippy goodness. I see how you are 😘 Sorry this one is a bit later than my previous schedule, I don't have as much written in advance. Been have writer's block like crazy. Wish me luck.

Chapter 10: Onward

Summary:

The adventure is underway when they get a surprise call.

Chapter Text

Blue’s tail swished back and forth in anticipation, crouched and ready to launch up through the thin clouds above them. Lance had the same anticipatory tension in his body as he sat back in his seat, grinning over his shoulder at Keith who gripped the back and was braced for the jump. Kosmo had happily planted himself between Lance’s feet and normally the wolf’s height would be in the way of the screens, but the Blue Paladin was already turning his head forward and looking through Blue’s eyes.

“Ready?” Keith asked, a tension to his voice that almost was akin to the tension coiled through Blue’s body.

“Get set!” Lance’s smile could not be stopped, even when he felt the tiniest curl of confusion from Keith through their bond.

“Awooo!” Kosmo bumped his snout against Lance’s chin when the wolf flung his head back to howl in excitement. Blue took her cue the moment Lance started to push the controls forward, their minds already in sync. She leapt, thrusters snapping on and pushing them away from the planet.

Once out of Altea’s gravitational pull, she mellowed out and Lance withdrew from her senses. He snapped back, startled, Kosmo’s nose nearly touching his own. “Hey, Kos’, I got something on my face?”

Keith shifted around to his side to look and Lance turned to him, quirking an eyebrow. “Your marks…”

Lance rolled his brow so the raised one smoothly lowered as the other lifted. “What about them?”

“They were glowing, just a little bit…” Keith studied his face hard and Lance could practically feel him trying to puzzle it out although their bond was currently dormant. Lance glanced at him and back to the screens in front of him. Luckily, he didn’t need to give navigation his full focus. They had already plotted their first point to make it around the curve of the planet and were headed in Red’s direction.

“Yeah, they’ve been doing that.” Lance reached up and rubbed at the blue mark on his right cheekbone. “It might be because Blue and I were synced?”

“Synced?” 

Lance was not ready for him to find out he had more weird abilities but Keith needed to know everything Lance did if they were going to work efficiently. “Yeah. Remember when we were, like, training to see through our Lion’s eyes? It’s like that, but more. All the senses. My body pilots on instinct because I’m already flying as a Lion.”

The boggled look he received clearly stated that that also wasn’t something that the other Paladins could do. As far as he knew, at least. This all was new to him, too. “I haven’t always been able to do this, this is new! I had to work on my bond with Blue before I was strong enough to work on ours with you.” It had been a very busy two weeks (and a couple days) on Altea first with Blue and then with Keith. He was glad to have taken a little time between everything to just… relax.

“Is it tiring? Like that new bayard form?” They had talked about so many things over the past several days. Lance had talked at length about being out of fighting shape and how that shield had felt like it took extra effort to put away. Keith had suggested that they spar, but they were both mentally drained from rebuilding their bond that they had thought it best to wait. Maybe on the first planned stop they could get some practice in.

“Not quite like the bayard?” With the bayard, the energy was mostly expended when changing its form. Once it had settled into shape, it was fine. With sharing senses, it was a lesser drain, but a consistent one. “But if used too long, yeah. Plus, it’s a lot of sensory data that I don’t get as boring-human me.”

“You’re not boring.” Keith frowned slightly at Lance putting himself down. They’d known each other long enough that Keith definitely knew Lance’s self-image issues, probably in more detail and scale than Lance wanted him to. But that wasn’t it this time.

“Relax, my knight in bladed armor, I just meant boring as a race. All human senses are shit compared to Blue.” He smiled softly, he cheeks warm from Keith’s attempt at trying to ‘defend his honor’ or some bullshit. It was cute and gave Lance the warm and fuzzies inside. “My point is that it can be overwhelming if I do it too long.” The explanation seemed to be good enough for Keith who just nodded, the set of his shoulders starting to relax.

Lance wondered if it would be something that Keith would be able to do one day. If Lance had the ability and bonded all the Lions and Paladins again, would their abilities grow? Would Keith be able to do this with Red one day? Or Hunk with Yellow? Or Pidge? Or Shiro? Would Lance gain other abilities? Would they all be considered part of the Pride and inseparable?

Would Lance not have to worry about losing them all again, or should he worry now more than ever?

In thought-filled silence, they finished their course around Altea and veered off into the starred blackness of space. Lance leaned toward Keith a little, glancing down at his finger to watch the red thread appear around his index finger once more. It glowed like an ember against his skin, a warmth there that was a balm to his very soul. Red was on the other end and he would find her, no matter where she was.


The HUD screen to Lance’s left chimed and lit up with Coran’s face but when Lance answered the image switched to a very confused Shiro. A Shiro who happened to be in the middle of a sentence. “—show me what, Coran? I… Lance? I was calling for… A-are you in the Blue Lion right now?”

Lance looked over his shoulder at Keith. “You told Coran about all this but you neglected to tell your own brother?”

Keith shifted guiltily and looked away from both Lance and Shiro’s looks. “I mean, he’s not—”

“Biological or not, you’re brothers and that was cold, man.” He didn’t mean it as harshly as he sounded and he made sure to touch their bond with teasing and lightness. Lance turned back to Shiro. “Yeah, so, synopsis: Blue came to get me for a world-saving road trip and Keith invited himself along to go find Red.”

Keith spluttered. “You need me to—”

Lance sighed theatrically. “He’s right, I need him to find Red. It really is a long story, but long story short, we’re getting the band back together to save the universe. Again. When I find the Black Lion, I’ll let you know, fearless leader.” He grinned and winked and absolutely ignored the sound of Keith facepalming behind him.

“Right. Maybe I should join you two—”

“Nope! No way.” Lance waved his hands in front of himself. “Dad, I’m a big boy now, and you need to let me go. I’m old enough to go on this bonding road trip with my BFF Keith.” He glanced over at Keith because there was no way he wanted to miss the look on Keith’s face. The baffled expression near-perfectly mirrored the one on Shiro’s. Two Broganes for the price of one.

“O...kay…?” Shiro wasn’t going to touch that and Lance was glad for it.

“Don’t worry, I love you, too, but right now is Lancey and Keef time.” He ignored the faint and confused ‘Keef?’ from behind him. He said what he said. “We gotta work on my sweet Lion-y superpowers and I promise we’ll fill you in but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be on your honeymoon right now and that’s a big no-no for working—”

“Lance, shut up, he was calling for me.” Lance bounced with the playful shove from Keith. He kept quiet as Blue transferred the call to Keith’s phone and, after double checking with Lance that he had the heading, he went to step out into the storage bay. He paused and turned back to Lance. “Can I explain the…”

“Everything? Yeah, you might as well catch him up. But I call dibs on telling Hunk. We are overdue for some serious bro-bonding.” Keith snorted and flashed him a thumbs up before disappearing from view. Lance slumped in his seat a little and looked down at Kosmo who leaned in to rest his snoot on Lance’s chestplate. He smiled softly at the wolf and cupped the base of both his ears with his hands to massage them. “You think he’ll pick up this time? I’m not sure what zone he’s in, he could be sleeping.”

You won’t know if you don’t try. Blue offered gently. Lance’s soreness over not being able to get a hold of everyone wasn’t a secret between them. There weren’t many secrets between them anymore.

Lance muttered under his breath in Spanish. It was accompanied by a surge of homesickness that had him sighing and dipping his head to rest his cheek on Kosmo’s head. “Can we call my mama first?” He didn’t bother switching back to English. Blue and the other Lions could translate just like the Castle of Lions had. Half the time they were formed as Voltron Lance had spoken purely Spanish with his fellow Paladins none the wiser.

He caught his mama at a good time and they had a nice, long talk. His siblings popped in, in turns, and he didn’t realize how much he’d missed all their teasing and heckling. Blue’s amusement was summer-warmed tide pools in the back of his mind and he ached to go to a beach. Any beach would do for him at this point. He missed the smell of salt-air and the feeling of warm sand under his feet. It hadn’t even been that long and yet. And yet.

His mama was giving him tips on cooking in the small galley they were able to set up in one of the rooms in Blue’s torso when Keith stepped in from storage. Lance glanced over his shoulder and waved a little, hoping it would relax the awkward hike of Keith’s shoulders as he stood in the doorway. He mouthed at him to ‘stay’, as he was going to wrap it up anyway. “Mama, I should let you go. Keith looks like he ate a whole lemon.”

“That’s because Keith has manners, baby. He didn’t mean to interrupt.” His mother’s eyes absolutely sparkled with mischief and Lance sighed. He knew it was where his siblings got it from (and, admittedly, himself too). “If I’d known you were going to run off on a major trip, I would have stocked up on extra Mojo Criollo to bring with you.”

“Mama, I have your recipe tattooed on the inside of my eyelids, I can make it myself.” From the look on Keith’s face and how he kept glancing behind him like maybe he should retreat, Blue wasn’t translating their conversation. “I know it won’t have your love in it, but I promise I’ll survive.”

“You better, baby. You don’t want me to have to come and get you.”

“No, Mama.” He held his hands up in surrender. Or promise. However his mama wanted to take it was probably for the best. “I love you. I’ll call again soon, I promise.”

“I love you, too, baby. Tell Keith I said hello and remind him that he’s welcome to dinner anytime.”

“Mama!” Lance spluttered and waved her off. “I’ll tell him, Igottagoloveyoulotsbye!” He slapped ineffectively at where buttons would be if Blue was some regular ship and not a sentient sorta-not-really magical Space Lion. Mercifully, she did disconnect the call for him. He leaned around the chair to look over at Keith, Kosmo’s head heavy in his lap keeping him from turning around too far. “My Mama says hi.”

His words seemed to have unstuck Keith from his frozen state. He moved over to him, leaning against the back of the chair. “Tell her I say hi.” He froze again when it was clear that Lance couldn’t exactly do that. 

“I will next time.” Lance knew that tenseness in his shoulders and didn’t want Keith to lock up out of awkwardness. “You didn’t interrupt, by the way. We were wrapping up. Haven’t called Hunk yet, but I’m sure he’d be happy to see you too?” He chewed on his bottom lip when Keith rested his hand on Lance’s shoulder and gently squeezed. He kept it there and Lance appreciated the comfort and warmth of it as the connection rang and, ultimately, went to voicemail.

Chapter 11: Connection

Summary:

While trying to set up an atmosphere-generating tent, Lance calls the last person he thought would answer for help.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

They were somewhere in the T’axla quadrant when they stopped on an unnamed planet. They’d been traveling on the Blue Lion for roughly a month. Although this wasn’t their first stop, both of them were starting to get a little stir crazy with the need to stretch their legs. This last stretch had been nearly three weeks. Blue had set down in a large field, the flora around them brightly colored in a way that made Lance think of poisonous frogs. Too many things glowed for his comfort and unlike their last stop, the air wasn’t friendly for man nor beast. 

Blue settled down and lowered her head to let Lance and Keith out onto the surface. Without needing to speak their plans, Keith left to scout the perimeter without so much as a word. It had been habit from their Voltron days and it was surprising how quickly they had fallen into it again. They hadn’t even talked about it. Lance paused at the foot of the ramp and closed his eyes as he felt their bond stretch and then release as Keith stepped out of their range.

Kosmo whined and scratched at the door separating him and the cockpit. It echoed out of Blue’s mouth and down to where Lance stood. He felt guilty for having to shut him in, but it was motivation to get the tent set up. Coran had given it to them for the trip. The Altean had explained that it made a fairly large dome tent with a sizable buffer of breathable atmosphere (once programmed). The outside used some kind of space-magic-science tarp to make a protective barrier from the native ground and it helped seal in the atmospheric dome. If only he’d shown Lance how to set it up.

Lance turned toward a flat area to set down the heavy bundle he’d carried out. The schematics and instructions popped up on his helmet’s HUD. “Blue, are you sure your translator’s running alright?” It was just the two of them and he was happy to stretch his verbal legs by talking to her in Spanish. It somehow made him both less and more homesick at the same time. “I’m no king of grammar, but this really doesn’t sound right.”

Blue rumbled and if she could squint her eyes with amusement, Lance was sure she’d be all squinty and smug. My translators are fine, Little One. It appears that one of Romelle’s acquaintances wrote these instructions. The Altean language must have changed on that colony over the last ten kilopheobs.

Lance took an embarrassingly long time to figure out that that was 10,000 years (ish. Space time was sliced up different and man, it was like the whole Imperial versus Metric thing but again and with time). He wasn’t on Pidge’s level, but he liked to think he was smart most of the time. He had managed to be the best in the cargo pilot division at the Garrison. Why else would they have picked him when Keith left and a spot opened up? He hadn’t been just some random choice.

“Okay, fair, languages evolve, especially after that amount of time. But that doesn’t really help for here and now.” He sighed and poked at the very flat hexagonal tent. He just wanted to get the darn thing set up and the atmospheric converter running so they could have breathable air inside it. He could still hear poor Kosmo whining from Blue’s stomach. He felt bad, but it wasn’t like they had a space suit for him.

He knew that Keith probably had some idea on how this worked but he didn’t know how long he would be and he didn’t want to keep Kos waiting. He wanted to sigh dramatically but knew that it was bad for oxygen consumption. Best to save it for when he’d completed the job. He compromised with a normal breath in but a very slow and exaggerated exhale that had a bit of a whine to it. He found himself calling Pidge out of reflex. Maybe it was because he was in his Voltron armor again and they were on an adventure in the Blue Lion. Maybe it was a desperate hope for connection. Either way, he didn’t expect an answer.

“Lance.” Lance jerked and whipped his head around. That had sounded as if someone was next to him... or in his helmet’s speaker. Pidge. The call had… connected. “Earth to Lance. Literally, it seems. This is some close-up, otherwise. Where are you?”

“Pidge.” He breathed, completely shocked that they were there, speaking almost directly into his ear. He hadn’t talked to them in over six? Seven months? And here they were. “Shit, I didn’t expect you to pick up.”

Pidge winced and rubbed the back of their head, tousling the much-more-tamed sandy curls. “Yeah, about that… Hunk and I were talking last week—” Their words faded away as a ringing in Lance’s ears intensified. Hunk and Pidge were talking, and recently, too. Hunk was his best friend but he could hardly return his calls but he made time for Pidge? And he knew that was unfair of him, they had been really close back at the Garrison and no one should choose one friend over another but it still… really hurt.

“...Lance!” Pidge’s tone was short but not sharp. Like they’d been calling for him for a little while. He looked up to where they stood on the screen before his face, making eye contact as best he could through the massive distance between them. “I’m… I’m trying to…” They sighed and shoved their hands into the messy coveralls they wore. “I’m sorry. I’m shit at calling people, my mom can attest. I only remember to call Hunk because we have a scheduled, standing appointment to talk nerdy to each other.”

Lance looked away from the center HUD where their image was. He understood, really. Pidge and Hunk had their platonic-nerd-bromance thing. But it… “It still hurts, y’know. You could have set up a time like that with me. Both of you could have. Keith answered my calls more often than you both did put together and Shiro…” He sighed and wished that he could dig his fingers into his hair and tug. “We were our own little family, and when the Lions left… you all gave up. I tried… so hard…”

“I’m sorry, Lance. I-I… It hurt. The Lions left and there was this giant, sucking hole in my chest and I just… ran scared. We’ve been hurt before, but nothing like that. Nothing a pod couldn’t fix.” They were right. None of them had known how to deal with it, and it made Lance feel so guilty. It was his fault, wasn’t it? He couldn’t hold the bond, he couldn’t stop it from breaking and ripping them all apart.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, hanging his head.

“What? Lance, how the hell is this your fault?” They fisted their hands on their hips and frowned at him from the vidlink. It was clear that they were upset that Lance was blaming himself for something that they thought was out of his control, but also a touch curious if it somehow could be his fault.

“I couldn’t hold the bond.” He confessed miserably. “The Lions left and apparently I’m some flavor of fucking special and the main reason we had that bond as strong as it was because I’m…” He curled his fingers into what one could only call ‘frustration claws’. He sniffled and wished that he could rub the tears from his itchy cheeks. “Pidge, it’s a really fucking long story which I will gladly tell you but I need to get this stupid space tent up so Kosmo can come out of Blue and we can have a bubble of breathable atmo. Can we just… can we do that bit first?”

“Yeah, Lance, of course.” Their voice was uncharacteristically soft and Lance just nodded, although he knew it didn’t translate well in the helmet. He flipped the camera around and showed Pidge the instructions and what he’d been doing. The grammar really was atrocious but they figured it out and soon enough, Kosmo had run laps around the outside perimeter of human-approved atmo.

Lance ditched the helmet once inside the tent and flopped out on a very comfortable cot. With a lazy flick of his fingers, he transferred the call to his tablet and set it on his stomach. Now he could take those exaggerated breaths. Pidge bobbed up and down as they hovered over the tablet screen from the waist up. “So…” his voice trailed off.

“Start wherever you need to, Lance. We’ve got time.” They had made time for him and now they were settled in some kind of big chair with a steaming mug held in both hands.

He started with the nightmares. It always came back to the nightmares. As he talked, he half analysed the order of his story. He knew, intimately, how Pidge had gone about studying. He wouldn’t have gotten such good grades without their help, even though they hadn’t actually known each other personally long at the Garrison. But even in space, they had researched in a very specific way and it was easy to organize his thoughts and just… lay it all out like this. He hadn’t known how easy it would be to just… talk to Pidge.

And sure, he went on a few tangents. He wouldn’t be himself without getting sidetracked and ranting about something (Keith’s interference was probably the biggest blow up, but the longest tangent was about some completely unrelated Paladin information that he’d dug up on New Altea while researching the Lion Touched). All the pieces just started to fit together and Lance felt himself unwinding in a way that talking with Keith for the last month hadn’t done. Which he felt bad about because Keith was pretty much his best friend. (Sorry, Hunk.)

But something felt… misaligned between him and Keith. Just a tiny hint of not quite settled that he couldn’t put his finger on. That, he did not bring up. He didn’t need Pidge to pick it apart, that was his own wire mess to untangle. When he was ready. Whenever the hell that was.

At some point, Lance had pulled out the Castle Diamond and started fiddling with it. The surface of the gem was rough and running his fingers over it with the contrast of the elegant wires wrapping it was soothing. “I totally get some of those caffeine fueled rants from back in the day, now. When you went on those wild research binges. It sucks when you’re finding fuck all when you know it exists. It does and you have proof. And still. Zilch.” He blew a loud raspberry and gently pushed Kosmo away when the wolf went to sniff at his mouth. 

“All I know is I’m able to find the Lions when they can’t find each other, kinda…” Lance’s voice trailed off and he continued after a pause, soft. “Kinda like Allura. But Blue said she wasn’t Lion Touched, it was just an Altean Royalty thing? Or an Allura and Alfor thing, I suppose, since Alfor created them.

“Except not? Blue’s memories go back so much further, it’s like the Lions always existed but they gave Alfor the knowledge to give them physical bodies? It’s just…” he groaned and slapped his hands over his face.

“A lot?” Pidge asked helpfully.

“Capital A, capital L, yeah. As much as it feels like my head is going to explode, I still want to know more.” He wanted to be prepared, wanted to know what was coming. Why was he having these dreams? Why was he Chosen? Why was he Lion Touched and why had no one said anything to him sooner? There were five whole Lions who could have brought it up and he had personally joined his mind to two of them.

“Then go out and find more!” Pidge gestured wildly with one hand to continue communicating while they took a big gulp of their drink. “You have a giant robotic Lion that can take you to the best source of knowledge and you’ve got the key to get in on your face.”

“What?”

Oriande, Lance. You told me about the glowy shit. Didn’t Lotor say that only Chosen had the face thingies glow? You could go and probably get all the answers you need, plus some sweet Altean Alchemy knowledge too.” Pidge had always been fascinated by the Altean Alchemy but they hadn’t had time. Lotor had been monopolizing Allura then but if Lance went, they could pick his brain.

“Shit, you’re right.” He perked up with a grin, pushing up onto his elbows. The tablet slid back a little. “But we have to get Red first. The White Lion won’t let Keith through. I can’t exactly just jetpack into the rift in my suit safely, and I can’t leave Keith just floating in space, either.” He looked down at his hand where the red thread gripped his index finger, even though he couldn’t see it at the moment. Keith was far enough away still that even reaching out for him found just a lack of the warmth and crackle of fire.

“Okay, then you have a plan. Red, Oriande, Green, Yellow, Black.”

“That sounds completely unbiased.” Lance grinned when Pidge snorted a laugh and adjusted how their legs were tucked up on their chair.

“I miss you.” Pidge set the mug in their lap and looked down at it as they spoke. “I miss you, and Hunk, and Shiro, and Keith. I miss the whole… family thing we had. The war can go fuck itself but… the down time was nice. Being with all of you was…”

“Yeah. I know.” Lance’s voice was soft and fond around the lump in his throat. He moved his tablet and sat up fully, adjusting the hologram’s location above the tablet so Pidge was eye level with him. “Do you remember that time we slicked the hallway with food goo—”

“—and you went to piss Keith off, had him chase you through the castle to that exact hall, pulled off a flawless long-jump over it, and then Hunk, you, and I watched Keith slip and fall over for like ten minutes before he got free and went to go beat your ass?”

Pidge’s barely-muffled snort of laughter got Lance going and by the time they could breathe again, his stomach ached. “I deserved it. H-he had so many bruises. Stars above, my life flashed before my eyes when the door in front of me opened and I ran face first into Shiro.” He coughed on a gulp of air and slapped his chest a bit. Breathing hurt but he really needed this. A good, long laugh with a friend. 

“I didn’t see that!” Pidge bounced a little, leaning closer to the vidlink. “What happened after?”

Lance didn’t hear Keith coming and yelped when he clapped a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to answer Pidge. “I tackled Lance through the doorway but he twisted like a cat midair and we slid twenty feet on my goo-covered back and into a wall.” 

Pidge cackled, eyes bright with tears. “You deserved that. Did Coran make you clean up the healing pods after you used them?”

No. We couldn’t use them until after we mopped the floor.” Lance groaned.

“And after we’d showered.” Keith added, sitting on the cot behind Lance, hooking his chin over Lance’s shoulder. They’d been so physically close for the last month that Lance didn’t even react. (Not even when Pidge clearly was looking back and forth  between the two of them, then staring pointedly at Lance in a silent demand for an explanation.)

“We couldn’t even get in the pods without being squeaky clean first.”

“Yup, you deserved it.” Pidge’s dry tone made Keith chuckle and warmth stole over Lance’s face at the feel of it through his back. The smirk on Pidge’s face turned just a bit more mischievous than Lance liked and he knew his doom was coming the moment they opened their mouth and said. “Hey, Keith, do you remember the time Lance—”

But maybe doom would be okay if it kept Keith laughing like this.

Notes:

This is the longest chapter so far and I love it so much. I don't have a lot more written after this but your comments have been the fuel to keep me going. This story would not have come this far without all of you!

Chapter 12: Toldarr

Summary:

A diplomatic mission is rarely ever interesting...

Notes:

So I meant to post this last week and say I was taking a week off but ended up not posting so hi, it's here, and I really hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Text

Maybe it was the fact that the Toldarrans were these behemoths of woven roots and mossy stone piloted by miniature hive minds of glowing bugs that gave Lance a creepy-crawly feeling up his back. Who could be sure? Not him. The tickling sensation traveling along his spine had been nearly non-stop since they had encountered them. Lance let Keith take the lead on this as he wasn’t officially a member of the Blade anyway, and instead he played the role of silent bodyguard. (It was so boring. The Toldarrans didn’t even speak human words, it was all humming and clicking made from the bugs movements through the roots and rocks. Keith had some kind of synthesizer that translated back and forth. Lance was not part of the conversation.)

He had half of his mind with Blue, viewing the Toldarran terrain with sharper eyes when he felt himself pulled back to his own consciousness. The bugs had been flickering their colors. They had all been yellow or blue or red, but now they were shifting to this purpley-green that made him think of oil slicks. The big one that Keith was communicating with shifted their stance as Keith typed away on the communicator. Lance’s bayard was in his hand before he’d even thought of it. His free hand snapped forward and yanked Keith back by the hood of his Marmora uniform as he summoned his shield.

The Toldarran’s open palm slammed into the surface, sparks flying as thorns hidden in the palm scraped across the surface. Lance’s heartbeat slammed through his chest and he kept his gaze on the threat before him. Keith pressed to his back and an electric crackle in the air told that Keith’s blade was now a sword. The circle of Toldarrans around them were frozen, poised, waiting and watching as more of the hive minded bugs flickered to their new color. Tension thrummed around them and Lance stared at those thorns, shifting back a half step as the Toldarran began to push down on his shield slowly.

“What did you say to them?” Lance hissed, his gaze flicking around them. So far, there hadn’t been any additional movement but that color haunted him. It was just like the sheen on the… “Shit.” That explained the crawling feeling. Hey, Blue? No answer.

“I didn’t say anything!” Keith insisted, his head twitching the slightest bit toward Lance as if he wanted to turn and make the brief spat more personal. Lance’s swearing, however, caught his attention. “Shit? What shit?”

His gaze flicked to the other two Toldarrans next to the first, their colors almost completely shifted over. Glistening thorns were pushing from between twists and weavings of roots and he didn’t even need to see the shadows of writhing vines in the gaps to know exactly what this had to be. “Keith, we can’t fight them.”

“What do you mean we can’t fight them? They attacked us first." Keith’s growl was lower this time, in his chest. Their shoulders slid against each other the tiniest bit as Keith shifted. Lance had only seen Keith’s shift a few times, seen him embrace his Galra traits. It was difficult and exhausting for him to do outside of moments of extreme stress and threat… like this.

“Keith, they didn’t—” The shield took a second harder hit and the tip of a thorn, although stopped, pointed directly for Lance’s eye socket. He’d dealt with that in one of his more recent nightmares and he would heartily pass. He had staggered under the weight of the hit, but Keith had pressed back against him to keep him steady. “It looks like they’re being controlled, they're innocent. Probably. We should run.” His eyes darted around the circle, looking at the colors the bugs displayed. He could see the tiniest of vines stretching between the Toldarrans, going toward those that hadn’t changed their colors yet.

Keith reached behind him and gripped Lance’s wrist. Silent agreement. When the Toldarran reared back to hit again, Lance shoved Keith in the direction of the least infected in the circle around then and they bolted. Keith’s grip shifted to Lance’s hand as they dodged massive legs and creaking swings of fists, as if he could pull Lance along faster. An earth-shaking groan sounded behind them and they both whipped their heads toward it.

Three of the Toldarrans had ripped apart, black, oily vines with wicked thorns had burst forth and now grabbed at the dislodged stones to create new, more agile bodies to give chase. Keith yanked hard when Lance started to stumble, the cold panic at his nightmares coming to life stealing his coordination. “Lance! C’mon!”

Blue! Lance’s mind flew to grab the connection with her as Keith led them through the forest. They zig-zagged, avoiding anything that looked like vines or slithered like snakes. We need to go, right now!

Little One, he felt her grip him and pull him into her mind so he could see the vines bursting from the ground to grasp at her legs. She froze them with her breath weapon, whipping her tail to break them as fast as she could. I am trying my best.

“Keith,” Lance gasped, pulling back into his own mind just in time to twist and avoid hitting a tree branch with his face. Each breath burned in his lungs and it was too hard to just talk so he did the next best thing. He grabbed for their bond and hauled Keith in close with all his strength to share Blue’s memory with him. It took only a second but Lance felt a wave of exhaustion from the effort.

Keith’s fierce determination flooded him like a shot of cinnamon whisky through their connection. He tightened his grip on Keith’s hand, their fingers intertwined as they continued to run through the forest. The crashing and cracking of wood behind them belied how close their adversaries were. They needed to change something up and soon or they were going to get caught. Lance had no interest in finding out what those vines were like when actively attacking him.

The near-deafening explosion of wood behind them was too close. The burst of air pushed at their backs and shards of wood pinged off their armor. Some of the impacts were hard enough to sting.  Keith and Lance both resolutely didn’t look back. It would only trip them up. Lance had discarded a half dozen of plan fragments before Keith squeezed his hand, halting his panicked thoughts. Keith’s idea flashed through his mind even as they both moved to execute it.

Right now, Keith was stronger, faster. The sharp tug to his hand had Lance pausing to pivot toward Keith and he was lifted. Keith’s arm clamped around his waist tightly to keep him from getting jostled, the other firmly under his ass and gripping at his thigh. Reflexively, he wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist and braced his triceps on the flat of Keith’s shoulder blade. Keith might be taller, for now, but Lance was still longer of limb.

Lance looked up at the source of the terrible noise and his grip tightened on Keith. Oh no. “Keep running!” Keith’s arm squeezed his waist in confirmation. Lance could feel his breath as he panted, the side of Keith’s face pressed just below his chestplate. He snatched up his bayard and as soon as the rifle formed in his hands, he took his shots. Jostled or no, he had a much easier time shooting like this without having to worry about running and not tripping over roots or running into trees. Keith’s plan had been right so far. 

His laser fire burned through the glistening thorny vines. He targeted the thin, whip-like vines that the behemoths were using like a grappling hook to propel their broken ‘bodies’ closer to the fleeing Paladins. Each time, another, smaller vine grew out of the stump left behind, but it was smaller, lighter in color, and hopefully not as strong as its predecessor. But they wouldn’t win like this. They wouldn’t escape like this.

“I am running!” Keith insisted, his gait amazingly smooth and even despite the terrain and the fact that Lance clung to him like a baby animal. Keith kept his upper body fairly upright and steady which slowed him a little but it helped Lance take perfect shot after perfect shot.

Lance swore he could feel Keith’s pulse through his stomach, the beat in time with his own. Their breath had synced too, and the thud of Keith’s feet echoed it all. A song of percussion between their bodies, bond singing above it all with the harmony of them. Lance reached for Blue again and in the connection he felt air rushing over plating. He closed his eyes as the world seemed to slow around him. He didn’t have enough time to speak so he hoped that this would work.

He slipped his hand to the back of Keith’s neck and lightly gripped. He pushed images at him, trying to quickly communicate the cliff in the woods they’d seen on their way up to the Toldarran village and that Blue was now on her way. If they leapt off the cliff, she’d be able to catch them in her mouth and get them out of here as quickly as possible. 

Keith’s quick change of direction was all he needed to know that the message had been received loud and (hopefully) clear. He grinned and took his hand back after a friendly squeeze. Time to resume kicking ass. Kicking vine? Whatever. Every shift and jolt of Keith’s body into his as he ran just felt like an extension of himself. A surge of joy at their synchronicity made Lance bite back a whoop of joy, but he knew that Keith felt the very same way.

“Hold on!” Keith called over his shoulder and Lance nodded even though Keith couldn’t hear it. He just kept shooting the vines as they whipped closer, getting nearer despite Lance’s quick and deadly shots. He hardly let up, and still it had advanced. There were two more, moving to catch up behind it. At least three Toldarrans had been ripped apart just so these vines could… what?

This… this was more serious than he thought. There had to be more going on. This was more than just about the Lions. 

Lance’s heart shot up into his throat when he was launched into a free-fall. Keith reached up for his shoulders and Lance slid down his body, clutching back. His hair whipped sharply at his face, stinging his cheeks and forehead until he slapped at the button on his helmet to close it completely. Blue opened her mouth just as he spotted her and all too quickly they slammed into the wall at the back of the cockpit. 

White-hot pain radiated from his shoulders, ribs, and left leg. His left side had slammed into the wall and his right side ached in an echo of pain from Keith’s own impact. At least his leg had managed to cushion Keith partially, but he was definitely going to have a bruise on his inner thigh from whatever was in that belt pouch. The impact stole the breath from their lungs and all he could do was stare at Keith, stunned from the fall as Keith stared back. As Blue evened out from her dive, they slid to the floor.

Lance struggled to suck in a breath as his back hit the floor. He still clung to Keith with all four limbs and slowly unwound himself so Keith could pull back. Keith pushed up, bracing over him on his hands and knees. They both panted in their helmets as they found their breath. Lance stared up at Keith as the adrenaline surged through their bond. The relief of safety washed over them both as Lance stared up at the glowing purple marks on Keith’s helmet. He didn’t know who started it but soon they were giggling breathlessly, their helmets clacking together as Keith went limp on top of him.

“Shit.” Lance gasped, reaching up to unlatch his helmet and shove it off. He ran both hands through his sweaty hair. “Fuck.” Keith bounced against him as he continued to laugh. Apparently his counterpart found that hilarious because Keith snorted and it set off another fit of giggling. Lance fumbled for the catches on Keith’s helmet, not understanding how the Blade of Marmora suit worked.

Keith pushed up onto one elbow to slap his hands away and got it off. The mask disappeared into the hood as Keith slid it back, still laughing. A flash of fangs could briefly be seen as Keith sagged back down onto Lance. His mouth twisted into a sideways smile, his eyes still faintly glowing with narrowed purple irises and yellowed sclera. His shoulders shook a little, either from Lance’s giggles or his own, but as they just watched each other, they started to settle. 

Keith rested the point of his chin just below the vee in Lance’s armor. Lance tucked his hand behind his head, the other forgotten on Keith’s ribs. He tipped his head down to look at Keith and quirked an eyebrow up in silent question. Their faces were so close that he could feel Keith’s breath puff against his lips. He licked his lips at the tickling sensation, his gaze dipping down to Keith’s mouth.

Before Lance could stop himself from doing something very, very foolish, they were interrupted by Kosmo’s sudden appearance on top of them. The space wolf clearly had run out of patience for them to come and open the door to let him out of storage to greet them. He wriggled on top of Keith and smooshed his face toward Lance’s armpit so he could lick Lance’s nose with a quick flick of his tongue. He wiggled, making Keith squawk and push off to the side to get out between the two of them. Keith sat up on one heel, with the other leg still thrown across Lance’s thighs. He looked rumpled, his hair a mess as it escaped his low ponytail. His eyes had gone back to normal.

Taking that as a cue or a saving grace, Lance shoved back and sat up. He hopped lightly to his feet and grabbed his helmet from the floor. That… that had been stupid of him. Stupid dumb old feelings cropping up like daisies just because Keith had been giggling of all things. He cleared his throat and stepped out into Blue’s torso to take a moment to breathe. He leaned back against the shut door, a hand pressed over his heart. Now was not the time to think a rumpled Keith cute. He pushed away from the door and walked down the narrow hallway to the cramped bathroom to splash a little water on his face. He ran cold, wet fingers through his sweaty hair to cool himself down. There was just something about cold fingers on his scalp that was soothing.

When he’d calmed himself enough (and fixed the porcupine mess of his hair), he returned to the cockpit. Helmet on and seated, he took the HOTAS in hand and didn’t look back at Keith. He knew he hadn’t moved, still sitting on the floor with Kosmo. “Brace, we’re going to be leaving atmo.” Back to business. Mission thoughts time. Not… He closed his eyes briefly and gave himself one second to enjoy the vision of a flushed, laughing Keith.

This might be a problem. 

“Braced. Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 13: A Plan

Summary:

It was time to get everyone together.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Every screen on Blue’s HUD was taken up with familiar faces. Lance’s chest ached with how much he missed all of these people. And they had all gathered together at Lance’s (or Keith’s) request. On his far left were Coran and Romelle, who looked to be in one of the library's private study rooms, chatting quietly. The next screen had Pidge and Matt together in their lab (muted and gesturing over some schematics off screen) split-screened with a pensive Sam. Hunk and Shay were together on the next, smiling and waiting patiently. Krolia and Kolivan were also quietly conversing, Shiro gave Lance the dad-liest concerned look while Curtis tried to convey his apologies with silently mouthed words over Shiro’s head. Veronica and Acxa kept sneaking glances at each other and Iverson filled the last screen with a scowl as broad as his shoulders. Lance couldn’t remember the last time that he had seen all of them together. It was like a little found-family reunion. 

Well, it would be, if not for the dire report he was about to give.

He didn’t know where to start, but he had everyone's attention from where he sat. He swallowed back nerves. Keith rested his hand on his shoulder and Lance flicked his gaze up at him gratefully. He turned back to the screens and cleared his throat. “It’s good to see you all. I’m hoping everyone has at least read the briefing packet that Keith sent you all a couple vargas ago to catch you up on our current position.” He paused, looking over everyone as they nodded.

“The situation on Toldarr has made it clear that this threat is more than just missing Voltron Lions. The nightmares that I’ve been having are coming true, and these vines are able to possess sentient beings.” He could only be grateful that the Toldarrans were made of rock and root and bugs and not something more akin to his own physiology, or his nightmares might have been even more graphic than they already were. “We must exercise extreme caution when visiting planets that are not our own, at least until we know more.”

“How did it react to blaster fire?” Iverson was the first one to speak. Somehow, Lance wasn’t the least surprised by his question, either. He would be the first person to stop thinking of a possessed being as a victim, wouldn’t he? Lance hated  that Iverson’s first question was a violent one, but Lance had to be brutally honest with himself about the strengths and weaknesses that the people before him posed. He was, at heart, a support player. The best way to support and protect everyone he cared about was to know how best to direct their movements and focus.

“Not well. I had to focus on severing what I could and they grew back or compensated fairly quickly. We don’t know what kind of energy source they pull from to keep up this growth rate and currently it isn’t safe to collect samples.” He saw Pidge’s shoulders sag slightly and he shot an apologetic look their way. It just wasn’t safe for them to examine even a tiny bit of the vines. “Only burning it thoroughly with a laser torch has been successful so far.”

Lance’s eyes widened as a thought occurred to him and he snapped his head toward where his sister’s face was on the HUD. “Ronnie, the night Blue came to get me, she was infected. She was on Earth.” His gut swooped and he felt a wave of nausea rush through him. She couldn’t have known, but she had landed on Earth, infected with those vines. He took a deep breath to try to settle his stomach.

Veronica’s gaze hardened and she nodded sharply. “I’ll make sure to check on our family and move them away from the farm. We’ll quarantine the area until we’re able to confirm the lack of, uh, vine presence?” 

“Acxa, get a group together to check the woods around the fields.” She and Veronica already looked like they were ready to jump to their feet and start that very moment. “I’ll send you a map based on what I remember.” Luckily, his dreams had burned the exact location into his mind. He didn’t think he’d ever forget where he’d found Blue waiting for him as long as he lived.

“Pidge,” Keith’s calm command voice was everything Lance wished his own could be. This was his mess to lead and he’d started okay, but now just one thing had thrown him off completely. “We’ll send you the sensory data Blue has from her time infected and during the fight on Toldarr. Maybe there’s something that you can use as a tracking signature?”

“I’ll see what I can find, and we can prioritize the McClain farm.” They confirmed with a short nod. Lance sagged in relief. Pidge would be able to find something if anyone could.

“What should the rest of us do?” Shiro asked, a small smile on his lips. Lance smiled back. That was Shiro’s ‘I’m proud of you smile’, he was sure of it. 

“We need to make sure that no one goes near Toldarr for any reason,” Lance began. “We don’t know how the vines got there, but we need to make sure to take every preventative measure to make sure that it doesn’t spread.” How had the vines even ended up on Toldarr? Had Blue gone there during the time that she didn’t remember and the vines had originated there? They didn’t know. And they couldn’t know either. They sure as hell weren’t going to pop by for some samples.

Keith leaned over Lance’s shoulder a bit more, his gaze focused on the Blade members. “There aren't any nearby planets, but Toldarr has an outer ring that is solid enough that it should be safe to create some small, temporary bases.” In fact, it was where they were currently settled. Keith had thoroughly scouted the area to make sure it was secure enough for them to do this call without worry while Lance checked Blue over for vines. 

“Based on the information we have on Toldarr,” Krolia began, her head angled off to the left where she was likely interacting with the file. “Five should be able to create a comm circle strong enough to reach the closest Blade base so they’d be able to report on any other activity. We can have the bases up and running in about 14 vargas.”

“Once we have the ability to track the signal, we should sweep other planets with sentient species.” Lance added. Just protecting others from Toldarr is one thing, but if other planets were contaminated and their peoples able to move freely… “Keith and I will continue our primary mission and make all the stops we planned on. I think our focus should stay on the Voltron Lions. We don’t know if this is just some… infected plant or if it’s something much bigger. We might need Voltron.”

Maybe the Lions had been the original target of the vines, but why? Lance didn’t know and he didn’t know how to figure it out. Lance had too many questions, but hopefully Oriande held answers. He just needed to pass the trials and find the right answers. He wanted to protect everyone; every world he’d traveled to and every world he hadn’t been to yet.

“We need to present a unified front to all civilians.” Keith spoke up when Lance was silent, his thoughts temporarily dragging him from the present. Lance looked up at him as Keith continued. “Coran, I think it best if you and Hunk work together as our lead diplomats to come up with our official story and how much we should share of what we know. We’ll spread it as far as we can. We want anyone who might know something to send it along to the Blades as soon as possible so they can be first responders and triage. A fast quarantine will be crucial. We’ve seen the destruction these vines are capable of. The loss of life could be immeasurable.”

“We will have something sorted out before the end of the quintant,” Coran said with a snappy salute. 

As tasks were confirmed, people closed out of the conversation or left the vidscreens if they had shared. At the end, the five original paladins were alone with each other and Lance was overwhelmed with an ache in his chest akin to homesickness. He knew it was the bond, frayed and raw at the edges. He found himself reaching for the crackling warmth of Keith’s connection and wasn’t disappointed to find it already reaching for him. 

Always so full of words, Lance didn’t know what to say.

“Some road trip with your, uh, BFF, huh?” Shiro attempted to break the silence with an awkward smile. For someone only eight years older than Lance, Shiro sure knew how to make himself sound like an old man. 

“When have you known either of us to do anything by halves?” Lance asked, half joking, his own smile a bit weak.

A too-long stretch of silence sat between them before Pidge lost their patience and threw their arms in the air in exasperation. "Hunk! Now’s your chance.”

Lance’s gaze flew to Pidge at the outburst and he felt a touch of quizzical confusion through the bond with Keith before he looked over at Hunk. The man in question rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground before up at the vidlink again. He had all the mannerisms of a kicked puppy. 

“Lance… I’m so sorry, man. A-and I know ‘sorry’ doesn’t even begin to cut it. I owe you the apology of my life because we’re besties and I’ve been a crappy one.” Hunk looked up at him and Lance had no idea what kind of expression he wore. He hadn’t been expecting this, not now. “There’s nothing I can say that doesn’t sound like some dumb excuse and you deserve better than excuses.”

“Hey,” Lance could see a shine in Hunk’s eyes. If he started crying then Lance would start crying and that wasn’t fair when he wasn’t here. He couldn’t hug him from this far away! “Hunk, c’mon, man. I know you didn’t mean to. We… we were all so focused on getting everything back to our previous normal that we threw the new normal aside…”

“You didn’t.” Keith pointed out from beside him, his voice low and impossibly gentle. Lance saw the others look to Keith before he, himself, looked up at him. Keith’s cheeks were slightly flushed, from all the attention, maybe? "You didn't throw it aside, Lance. You fought like hell to combine the two normals into the… The, uh, best normal."

"Eloquent." Pidge couldn't help ribbing Keith. They never could help themselves from teasing their friends. "But absolutely right. You put in all this work, Lance, now it’s our turn. Let us make it up to you. I call first dibs. Thursday evenings, Earth time. I’m calling you.”

“Then I call dibs on Mondays.” Hunk interjected, before anyone else could say otherwise. “I’m usually free in the mornings. I know you don’t like getting up super early, but you can call me whenever you get up, if you want. And I’ll call you by, uh, ten. Yeah, ten.”

Lance couldn’t stop the smile, or the tears welling up in his eyes. That they wanted to try—that they were going to try—already meant so much to him. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and was about to thank them when Pidge added:

“And biweekly, we’ll need a Garrison Trio call, of course.”

“Sounds like your social schedule is filling up,” Keith mumbled, bumping Lance’s shoulder to make room so he could sit on the arm of the pilot’s chair. “How will you find the time to save the universe with me?”

“What, feeling jilted, Kogane? You can schedule some one-on-one time with me, too.” Lance winked to go with his pickup line and felt an until-then withheld tear trickle down his cheek. He blinked and ducked his head to wipe his face and caught sight of an aborted movement. Keith had been about to… what? Brush the tear away? His heart thudded near-painfully at the thought. He looked up at Keith just as the other Paladin looked away.

“We should have a Paladin call.” Shiro offered, pulling Lance’s and Keith’s attention to him. “Sundays. And not just to check up on you while you two are who knows where in space.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Lance  grinne when he heard Keith echoing him. He held up a fist to bump without looking and grinned when Keith did without complaint. “But yeah, a Paladin call would be nice. I can fill you all in about the frankly boring lore that was made up about Voltron and the Paladins in the ten thousand year gap between round one and round us.”

“And you can tell us all about Oriande when you go. I want to know everything.” Pidge bounced a little on their stool, leaning closer to the screen. “You can’t just drop the Chosen bomb on me and not tell me everything.”

“Are you sure you weren’t a mosquito in a past life, Pidgeon? Do I need to get you a straw?” He made ridiculous slurping noises as Pidge stuck their tongue out at him, so much attitude scrunching up their face. “Hunk, did Pidge catch you up? Or is this topic numero uno for our first bromantic besties brunch… call.” He couldn’t think of another b-word.

“Bare minimum, man. It’s fine though, you’re the better storyteller.” He ignored Pidge’s coughed 'exaggerator’ and kept on going. “We can chat and cook together, if you’re in a place where you can do that then?”

Lance shrugged a little. He wasn’t sure what day of the week it even was back on Earth, let alone how long they would have to wait here to make sure nothing got in or out of Toldarr. “We’ll definitely cook together sometime, buddy. I just don’t know when yet.”

“Hey,” Hunk shrugged, “works for me. I just figured you’d be less jealous of my cooking if you were also making something delicious.” He chuckled at Lance’s affronted noise. Shay said something softly from off screen and Hunk looked over and nodded. “Alright guys, we’re definitely going to catch up more, but I gotta go. Coran’s already pinging me for diplomat stuff, and I’ve a class to teach that I need to finish prepping for.”

Lance missed Hunk before he even disconnected from the call. His departure prompted the others to leave as well, leaving Lance feeling lonely even though he wasn’t alone. He slumped back in the pilot’s seat as the HUD screens dimmed. Keith flopped his hand on top of Lance’s head and ruffled his hair vigorously, making him squawk. The gloved hand tugged him over sideways until his head smacked lightly against Keith’s breastplate.

“Feel better?” Keith’s voice rumbled through his armor and against Lance’s cheek. He still sat on the arm of the pilot’s chair.

The lump in his throat was back and he simply nodded, biting his lip. He felt silly about crying (again) over the reassurance that his second family did still care about him. Keith turned toward him, bracing his feet on the other arm rest as he hugged him. A soft, muffled sob escaped him and Lance tugged sharply to pull Keith into his lap. His feet slipped and he held onto Lance that much tighter.

“Thanks.” He cleared his throat after his voice broke over an embarrassing squeak. Keith just hummed and carded his fingers gently through brown hair. Lance didn’t know when Keith had removed his glove, but he melted against Keith as his fingers massaged slow whorls into Lance’s scalp. 

“Anytime.” Simple. Fact. Keith would be there for him. “I’ll always lend you a hand.”

Lance made a weird choking sound that was meant to be a laugh. “Is that because Red’s Voltron’s arm?” The long silence and then weary sigh made him grin. He turned his head toward Keith, his temple pressed against a ridge of Keith’s breastplate. “Aw, c’mon, Keith. There’s no ‘arm’ in a little joke between friends, right?”

“You’re feeling better. I’m releasing the wolf.” Keith pushed Lance back and climbed off his lap, heading for storage.

Lance whipped around and caught Keith’s hand as he passed, squeezing gently. “Hey. Really. Thank you.” Keith smiled softly at him. The good smile that was fond and crooked and had just a hint of a dimple in one cheek. His gaze made Lance feel… warm. Either that, or maybe it was Keith threading their bare fingers together and squeezing just once.

“Lance…” Just above a whisper. Neither of them looked away as the moment drew out. Keith’s cheeks started to pinken and eventually he managed to stammer out, “U-uh, wolf. Releasing. Yeah.”

Lance blinked as the warm hand left his own and the delicate quiet moment was broken as an eager space wolf bamph’d into his lap and started to lick his face. He didn’t quite know what had just happened (beyond Kosmo, because that was pretty obvious). It was something to mull over when he wasn’t trying to evade wolf tongue, at the very least.

Good thing he and Keith were stationed here over Toldarr for at least the next nineteen hours.

Notes:

This is one of the longest chapters so far! And this is the longest thing I've written by myself and I have all your lovely support to thank for this. I love you all!!

Chapter 14: Near

Summary:

They were approaching Red's location and Lance couldn't stop himself from trying to reach her.

Notes:

I had to break the whole finding Red sequence into three chapters because these shorter chapters make it easier for me to put things out. I named the chapters similarly to kind of establish the three-parter thing so I hope it's as clever as I think!

Chapter Text

The string around Lance’s finger had been getting thicker, its grip tighter and almost hotter as they neared her location. For long stretches, Lance didn't so much pilot the Blue Lion as he was one with her. His hands rested loosely on the HOTAS as they flew through space, his mind with Blue and reaching ever forward. He stretched as far as he could, grasping at the thread that drew him toward Red, trying to touch her mind before they found her body. 

(The first time he had done it, he’d scared Keith. He had pulled out of his search quickly when he felt his body being vigorously shaken only to look up at a very worried Keith. After that, they had decided on a way for Lance to show that he wasn’t mentally present so Keith would know.)

Lance opened his eyes and unfolded his legs from a tailor’s seat with a grimace. His feet were pins and needles and his eyes itched in that tired way that made him want to just curl up around Kosmo and sleep for hours. Being connected to Blue felt natural and didn’t seem to tire him much, but they were also extremely close. Red was still miles upon miles away and their bond was still broken and raw within him.

Keith stepped into the cockpit from storage and Lance turned to look at him. Keith pulled up the mask, pushing it and his hood back. He must have stepped out to talk to the Blade while Lance searched for Red. He frowned at Lance. “You look like shit. You pushed yourself too hard, again.” 

Keith was right, this wasn’t the first time that Lance had searched for Red for hours. Still. “Rude. Do you speak to your mother like that when she’s focused on a goal and making minor personal sacrifices for it?”

“No,” Keith walked over to lean against the pilot’s chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Because she could beat my ass even while exhausted. You, on the other hand, look like I could blow you—” Lance’s ears stopped working. Maybe because all the blood suddenly rushed to his cheeks.

Lance startled when Keith hauled him up by the arms and pushed him toward storage. “Wh-what?” Was Keith…? Were they going to…?

“I’m flying, you’re napping.” Keith didn’t let go of him until he could shove him onto the hammock. Lance nearly flipped it and ended up on the floor, but Keith steadied the canvas before he could fall. Kosmo hopped up and immediately laid atop Lance, stopping him from getting up and protesting further. “We need to land on the first thing we fit on and if you’re this out of it, I’m not telling you why until you’ve slept.”

“But…!”

“Lance, for fuck’s sake, go to sleep.” Shrinking back at Keith’s sharp tone, he nearly flinched when Keith rested a hand on his chest. “Trust me?” Keith murmured, looking contrite that he’d made Lance pull away.

Lance smiled the tiniest bit. “Always.”

Keith nodded and left, the lights dimming until just the tiny auxiliary gold floor lights were left. Kosmo sighed heavily from where he laid on Lance. He reached down and buried his fingers into the thick fur and closed his eyes. It felt so nice to close his eyes. Goodnight, Blue.

Sleep well, Little One. Lance slipped under, lulled by the sound of waves.


Fire, hot and undeniable, burned briefly through Lance’s mind as he trudged across craggy black rock toward a mountain. It caught him off guard and he stumbled, clutching at his helmet and nearly dropping his bayard. Keith gripped his arm and tugged him upright. Although his mouth moved, Lance couldn’t hear anything. The silence roared in his ears and he looked around them at the too empty terrain. There wasn’t even any cover other than a scattering of large rocks, but they were few and far between.

They needed to press on, they were here for a reason, after all. As they climbed the mountain, dark foliage burst from the cracks in the black rocks. Trees sprouted, twisting up into trunks that spread into branches with black leaves and purple veins. The branches lengthed and sagged like a willow, swaying despite the lack of wind. 

Lance eyed them warily, keeping his distance as the path before them narrowed. The solid rock underfoot broke into smaller and looser pieces as they ascended and Lance fought to stay upright. The cracks under his feet grew and he had to step around them, winding his way up higher and higher. Suffocating, hot wind whipped at him and he could feel the bite of it through his armor. 

The mountain grew steep enough that it was more of a climb than a hike, the foliage encroaching and brushing against him. He couldn’t hear Keith behind him and kept checking to make sure that he was close. The lack of any sound was unnerving. He could see the dust on the wind and feel the rocks slide beneath his feet but heard none of it.

He holstered his bayard when it became clear that he needed two hands to continue climbing the mountain. His progress slowed and with it came a tingling, itching feeling along his back. He paused and carefully turned to ask Keith about it but he wasn’t there. He froze and looked back to the path they’d walked up but the path was gone and only thick, inky black foliage remained, growing ever closer.

Screaming Keith’s name did nothing. There was no sound. Maybe... Maybe Kosmo had come and bamph’d him away. Maybe he’d come for Lance next if he just held tight. He waited, focusing on just breathing, sweat trickling down his back and making it itch even more. That’s when the rocks lurched.

Lance scrabbled for purchase as he slid down the rocky facing, sharp edges ripping through his gloves and biting at his hands. He grit his teeth and held on, his eyes squeezed tight when he finally slowed to a stop. He opened his eyes and froze. He was positioned over one of the large cracks he’d been stepping around. It was some kind of thermal vent, he could feel the heat blasting against his armor, could almost taste the acrid smoke that was starting to curl from it.

Between one blink and the next, a giant glowing eye appeared in the crack below him. He yelped and scrambled back, his feet slipping over loose rocks. He landed hard on his back and sat up quickly as one of the black willow branches whipped his way, trying to grab him. The cracks of the mountain began to glow and Lance stared in wide eyed horror when everything shook. 

Lance didn’t notice the willow branches curling around his arms until they gripped him tightly. They caught his legs next and he tried wrenching away, but they held fast. He looked down as they started to crawl over his shoulders and down his chestplate. Thorns began to grow, glistening and sharp. Cold, paralyzing fear curdled in his gut. The vines had been here all this time and he hadn’t even noticed.

The vines gripped him and pulled him back toward the foliage, forcing his limbs out and away from his core. He had never felt more vulnerable while in his Voltron armor. Thorns pressed at the flexible under armor over his stomach and the tips of vines poked at the edges and seams of the chest plating as if to crack him open. 

A roar so loud that Lance felt it through his whole skeleton ripped through the silence. It didn’t stop. If anything, it got louder and louder. Lance looked up the mountain and saw all the cracks glowing and then… some sort of oozing, glowing sludge . It was thick, but moving quickly, and with the most intense heat he’d ever felt…

Lava.

The cracks under foot grew exponentially and Lance’s cry was swallowed by the roar. Lava bubbled up and consumed him, burning away the vines and kept burning. He curled up tightly and… opened his eyes when he wasn’t burned to a crisp. A bubble had formed, keeping him safe inside. It opened up to the sky and Lance looked around at the lava flow which had laid waste to most of the forest and kept going.

I knew you’d find me, Kit.


Lance jerked awake, nearly slamming his head into Keith’s, who had braced over him, his hands on Lance’s shoulders. He was soaked in sweat and shivering as he sucked in lungfuls of air. Ignoring the concerned look from Keith that silently asked if he was okay, he used their connection and his bond with Blue to cast out and reach for Red. His excitement and hope waned after he realized that he still couldn’t feel her.

What he could feel was their lack of motion.

“Did we stop?” He asked, his voice rough and cracking. He looked around, noting that Kosmo had left him while he slept. The hammock was cool enough that he had probably left him when he fell asleep.

“Yeah. We’ve landed on the far side of a moon.” Keith moved over to a storage locker and pulled out a bottle of water. He passed it to Lance and remained silent as he drank.

“Why?” Lance asked eventually, having downed half the bottle already.

“There’s a Galran tribe on the planet’s surface. Kolivan has requested that we gather some intelligence on what they’re doing there.” The Galra had splintered after everything, some returning to clans and tribes and finding their own homes outside of New Daibazaal. Others were not so peaceful and wanting to return to how things had been during the reign of the Empire. “It’s just recon, but we can’t let the Blue Lion be sighted.”

Lance nodded, feeling uneasy. He hoped that whomever they found were just settling in and making a new home. “Are there any other inhabitants on the planet?” He shifted off the hammock and stood. 

“Not that we are aware of.” Keith moved toward the cockpit and Lance followed, sipping his water. “My plan so far is to wait for whenever the string points directly to the point below us, hopefully during a night cycle, and we fly down to get to Red.”

Lance leaned into Keith’s side after they stepped into the cockpit and checked his finger for the angle of the string. Based on the data on the HUD before them and the angle of the string, they wouldn’t have to wait for long. He moved to the pilot’s chair and pulled up a smaller holoscreen to tap out some math. He didn’t call himself the Paladins’ sharpshooter just because he could shoot things well. Trajectories were important to both his weapons of choice and for piloting. “It’ll be maybe…” he chewed his lip as he tapped out just a few more numbers, “an hour before we should head down?”

Keith leaned against the back of the pilot’s chair. “I don’t have any tools with quite the range to scan and see where the Galra are from here. But I can start a continuous scan once we are en route.” His fingers skimmed Lance’s neck where the under armor ended.

Swallowing, Lance glanced up at him, turning to look. Keith very pointedly wasn’t meeting his gaze, but he didn’t stop the gentle touch, either. Usually, with the hanging weight of waiting over his head he would be restless but… It was nice to sit here in silence and enjoy the brush of their bond. He reached up and took Keith’s hand as he closed his eyes. 

He could think of no better way to spend the time until descent.

Chapter 15: There

Summary:

They've found her.

Notes:

I meant to take a week off and then my computer died and then my monitor was too old and then my NEW MONITOR WAS STOLEN FROM MY DOORSTEP...!

So it's been a while, and I haven't been able to really write or have the motivation to do so all month. Thank you to everyone who comes back, and everyone new. You all mean so much to me.

Chapter Text

The best place for Lance to sit while Keith piloted Blue, he’d decided, was between Keith’s thighs. Keith’s face had burned bright red when Lance guided him into the pilot’s chair and braced himself on Keith’s thighs to lower himself down. He’d flashed Keith a winning smile which only made his counterpart flush all the darker. Who knew Keith was so easy to fluster? He’d have to tease him about it later.

Lance turned and plopped on the floor with Keith’s legs bracketing his sides. He settled his helmet into his lap. He tucked his long legs up into a tailor’s seat for comfort. The warm press of Keith’s (firm and faintly trembling) thighs on either side of him nearly distracted him, but he was a man on a mission. He had to prove that he was right and this was, ultimately, the best place for him to do this. 

He just needed to scoot down a bit.

He slouched back so that the edge of the pilot’s seat cushion hung over the collar of his armor and the base of his neck pressed against the cushion. It wasn’t the most comfortable but it was necessary. He tipped his head to rest his cheek just above Keith’s knee for good measure. Being this low put his shoulders under Keith’s thighs and allowed him to slip his fingers into the gap of his mid-calf boot to find skin. (The only other easy point of contact would have been Keith’s face and that wasn’t conducive to Keith piloting and Lance meditating.)

He closed his eyes and slipped deep into his bond with Blue. The leap from the moon’s surface was exhilarating and the urge to whoop—to roar—was strong, but he resisted. This phase of their mission required stealth. A content rumble of approval rolled through him, sticking in his chest and he smiled as thrusters shifted and burned brighter, aware of Keith leaning over him as he pushed the HOTAS controls forward.

Lance reached for Keith next and he could only imagine that this must be how Blue felt when they were piloting together. The Lion’s body felt like his body and when Keith shifted his grip on the controls, guiding them around space debris, he felt himself make those changes even as Keith shared the thought with him. The song of their synergy flowed through him and every part of him felt happy and light. He pulled just a bit harder on his connection to Keith, to share this feeling. Lance smiled against Keith’s thigh when he was lightly squeezed by his calves, a soft and fond chuckle warming him throughout.

The distant tug to their plating was foreign but without having to ask, Lance knew it was the edges of the planet’s gravitational pull. He’d never felt it like this before. He pulled away from the depth of his bond with Blue and focused on balancing between her and Keith, reaching out and searching for Red. They were still high above the cloud layer but Lance didn’t care. He wanted that connection as soon as she was in reach.

He urged them forward, sacrificing some of their stealth as the thrusters brightened with their force. It was like grasping around in the dark, trying to find the lightswitch. There was nothing but blankness and then…

Red! He cried. A tendril of himself, stretched far and thin, curled tightly around her ragged edges. Her heat was the intensity of a wildfire with a molten core that could strip you to your bones, but he did not flinch. He drew them all closer.

Stay back! She roared, fear and pain sharp as they echoed through Lance’s mind. Don’t come any closer, Kit. I mean it!

Blue’s jerking stop made Keith slam into Lance, nearly separating them and breaking the fragile connection to Red that Lance had. His helmet flew across the cockpit and Keith’s hands grabbed at Lance’s shoulders as legs grabbed his ribs to keep him from following. Both Paladins breathed shakily after the rush of the Blue Lion’s sudden halt. Lance croaked a noise that tried to be ‘I’m sorry’ and Keith patted his chest lightly in reply. Forgiven.

Lance sagged back against Keith, his feet skidding a little as he tried to right himself. He reached up with one hand and tugged off Keith’s glove. He removed his own with his teeth and, once bare, threaded his fingers with Keith’s against his chest. He needed that touch to strengthen their bond to reach for Red again. He reached for her once more, frowning in concern at the jumble of emotions that swirled together just at his edges of his reach. Fear and anger were the strongest, followed by desperation, hopelessness, and a fierce protectiveness.

We’re not leaving without you. Lance wished he had the strong, immovable base of Hunk with him, but he would work with what he had to convince Red to let them help her. He painted his stubbornness into a seawall, solid and unyielding. He wouldn’t let her chase them off, not after everything they had done just to find her. Blue, Keith, and I are all here to get you out. Out of what, he still had no idea. He could reach her, talk to her, but their bond was still broken. He might have gotten a taste of her feelings, but it was because they were strong and on the surface. He couldn’t reach her thoughts.

Kit… Red continued to growl at him. He didn’t know why she was being so difficult. He frowned and slid further into Blue, urging her to move closer but still hide in the cloud cover that the atmosphere offered. Red’s growl shifted from a simple warning to actual anger. Get out of here!

The urge to roar back rumbled in his chest but when it bubbled up in his throat he found himself distracted by a soft rasping sound. Keith squeezed his hand reassuringly and Lance glanced down to see Keith’s thumb sweeping back and forth over his knuckles. Who knew someone as feisty and hotheaded as Keith could be so grounding? Lance wished he could pull Keith into this conversation, that he could hear Red and Blue and help him convince her…

We can’t. We need you. Blue can’t sense any of the other Lions, and these… These vines keep showing up. I don’t know what they are but they’re dangerous. We’re a Pride. We’re stronger when we’re together. He didn’t know if she would listen to him, but he had to try.

You... you can’t land. They’re here, too. I’m pinned down. Red finally admitted. Lance leaned forward as if the minute change of distance would somehow help. He couldn’t fix their bond without being able to touch her, and if she wouldn’t let them any closer… I took a lot of damage when I was ambushed. I’m hidden, but it’s there, waiting for me.

“She’s hurt and hiding, but the vines are here, too. If those Galra aren’t infected…” Lance opened his eyes and tipped his head back to look up at Keith. Keith’s brows furrowed together and he frowned as he thought. His thumb never paused as it continued to sweep against Lance’s skin.

“They will be. We have to quarantine the planet, Lance.” Neither of them liked what Keith was saying but they knew it was the best move to make. “We’ll get Red and burn out any trace of it. We’ll have to set up bases like around Toldarr.” If those Galra weren’t infected already… they would have to leave them to be. They couldn’t risk spreading the vines faster than they already were and the burden of that decision weighed heavily on them both.

“I know.” Lance didn’t sound any less horrified by it. If they were wrong, they were sentencing that tribe to unknown horrors. “They will be safer, everyone will be safer, if we’re not seen and if we quarantine the planet.” He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. He and Keith could figure out how to get Red out of there. They had both been her Paladin, they knew her better than anyone.

Can you still fly? Lance asked first, also speaking aloud for Keith’s benefit. He tipped his head back a little to look up at Keith and could see the reflection of his marks glowing in his dark eyes. It was a very faint, delicate glow compared to when he completely would merge with Blue and they flew together.

Well enough. Red grumbled. Lance hoped that she was finally accepting that they weren't going anywhere without her. It prioritized my offensive systems before attempting to hobble me.

Lance relayed everything she said to Keith. He watched Keith’s brows twitch together and a tiny smudge of a wrinkle formed between them. The right corner of his bottom lip puckered as he bit it, and Lance found himself unable to look away. He knew it was Keith’s plan-face. He’d stared at it far too often to not know every detail. Despite his distracted staring, he still focused on Red. Where are you hiding?

In the active volcano below you. She delivered without a hint of emotion. Lance wondered if she had ever fully immersed herself in lava before or if this had been an experiment in a moment of sheer desperation. After I broke away, I needed a way to purge every vine from my systems.

A quick query to  Blue—"Can you?", "No."—confirmed what Lance suspected. Water had been Blue's forte, and although lava moved like a liquid, that was where their similarities stopped. Blue wouldn't be able to dip in to help get Red out of the lava, which meant that they had to focus on keeping the way out clear.

It grew a dense forest over the entire volcano, there's too much for me to fight off. It could very easily overwhelm me again. Lance burned with questions on what had happened to get Red here, but now was not the time.

Lance’s head snapped in her direction, as if he could make eye contact, as if facing her direction would add much-needed steel to his voice. Then you don't fight it. We do. It seemed straight-forward enough. She needed a path cleared to get out of the volcano.

“What’s the plan, fearless leader?” Lance couldn’t keep the smirk out of his voice. He grinned wider at Keith’s snort. He tilted his head back to look up at Keith. “Was that the sound of you rolling your eyes I hear?”

“No.” Keith deadpanned. “It was the gears in my head. Planning, remember?”

“I think I’m thinking what you think you’re thinking. But lay it on me just the same.” Lance nodded attentively as Keith explained his plan. The basic points were exactly what Lance had been thinking: come in as low as they safely could, have Blue freeze everything along the edges of the volcano between Red and her exit, speedy retreat and settle on one of the moons. There they could take stock on the full extent of Red's condition. 

It didn’t pass Lance’s notice that her situation was very much akin to the nightmare he’d just had. Maybe they weren’t nightmares after all, but… warnings? If he hadn’t gone to see Blue that night, if his connection to her wasn’t so strong… would she have infected the farm? Would he have gone out for that late night walk after yet another nightmare and this time been attacked and taken over?

Little One. Blue had connected the same dots that he had. The mental shift toward each other to give and take comfort was simultaneous and swift. Relying on each other was seamless and natural.

I’m alright, Blue. He could worry about this later. Right now, their focus needed to be getting Red out of the volcano she was in. He switched to reach out to her. Red, I think it’s best to move now. We'll be too obvious after dark. Do you think you can get out of the atmosphere with the current damage you’ve taken?

I don’t think I’ll have much of a choice. There was the good old dry wit that Lance knew and loved. “We should go, if it’s too dark, we’ll be more visible. Plus, the mouth of the volcano isn’t exactly shrouded in shadows.” He untangled himself from the other Paladin and grabbed his helmet.  If Keith was piloting Blue, he knew where he would be most useful.

Keith’s hum of agreement cut short as Lance rolled to the side and stood up. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

Lance flashed him a grin as he tugged on his helmet. “If you’re piloting, then what else am I to do but take the speeder and provide some backup? I won’t get close enough to be in any danger.” He started to duck out into storage.

“Why do I doubt that?” Keith called over his shoulder, his hands already curling around the HOTAS and angling them toward the surface.

Lance laughed and continued into storage where Kosmo laid on the floor, forlorn. Kosmo perked up and trotted over to him. Lance crouched to ruffle his ears with both hands before letting him out into the cockpit. He would just teleport up there anyway if Keith didn’t let him out and it would be better for everyone if there weren’t any more surprises. 

The Lions might be massive, but they also didn’t have the internal space for lifts. They did, however, have the space for a sliding pole which Lance jumped onto with practiced grace. Even with the artificial gravity, it was a bit of a challenge with the angle of their descent. The thud of his boots on the ground was a bit harder than he’d intended and he felt it shock through him. It didn’t jar him, but it did settle in his chest like a gavel strike. Time to get to business.

Straddling the speeder, Lance raced through his checks with an ease that came not at all from practice, but from Blue still at the back of his mind. A swipe of the hand brought up the HUD and he flicked items off the checklist as he confirmed them. Using the chest exit will cause too much drag. The thought was as much to himself as it was to Blue.

I’ll slow down as we approach altitude and open midsection bay doors.

“Keith,” Lance closed the lower half of his helmet, sealing himself in. He transferred the plotted route to Red’s location from the speeder’s HUD to that of his helmet just in case he had to cut from it. “Blue’s going to take over when it’s safe for me to exit.” He backed the speeder up and down the narrow hall to hover above the bay doors. “I’ll tell you when I’m clear.”

“Copy that.” Keith’s face appeared on the left side of the HUD. “You be careful.” Lance snorted despite the concern in Keith’s voice that made his stomach swoop pleasantly.

“Coming from you? That’s rich, Keith.” He smirked and winked at Keith as he felt Blue slow. Suddenly the doors under him slid open and he dropped. One of these days, they weren’t going to be doing something covert and he would to let out every bitten down, joyful whoop he had. “Race you to the volcano?”

“You’re on.”

Chapter 16: Here

Summary:

Time to clear the way for their escape.

Chapter Text

Lance had his speeder flying at an angle to afford him a more direct view of the land below. It was impossible to tell if the forest was completely identical to his dream in the fading light. The flora was as black and shiny as the rocky surface of the planet, both clear details that he remembered. He was too far away to identify any greenish-purple sheen, or if the veins on the leaves were the same shade and shimmering with iridescence. The rest of the planet had plants that looked nothing like this. 

He had to assume they were camouflaged vines, waiting and ready to pounce. Lance was confident the vines knew they had arrived. Blue, anything on your scanners indicate a Galran presence? The trees were nearly up to the lip of the volcano’s mouth. It would be too hot for most trees to grow there, but Lance knew that the vines had a high burning point. The other factors, like altitude, winds, and thin air didn’t apply to something that could exist safely out in the cold vacuum of space.

Nothing. Even with the Blade of Marmora’s updates that Keith uploaded. The signal coming from the forest below is so loud that I can’t differentiate anything. It would mask their presence if they are indeed there. Lance was unsettled by that knowledge alone.

“Keith, proceed with caution.” He warned, his eyes still watching the landscape for any signs of hostility. “Blue’s sensors are likely being jammed in some way from the forest below.” Lance leveled out, one hand on the controls and the other holding out his bayard, ready to morph it to shoot or shield. He rose just a little higher above the forest, his HUD scanning for anything that might look like a body’s movement amongst the foliage. 

“From the forest?” Keith frowned and made to lean over and look down before stopping himself. The floor, and the rest of the Blue Lion, was not see-through. He threw a rude gesture at Lance before he could even laugh at Keith. 

“Yeah.” There was laughter in his voice regardless. He would never regret being able to see a tiny view of Keith in the overlay in his helmet. “Besides that, mountain forests don’t grow like this.”

“What gave you that idea?” Keith had to have been raised by the desert he grew up in, because how else would anyone get their tone that dry? Lance couldn’t stop the smile it brought him.

“Well, forgive my rusty middle school science knowledge, but blah blah timberline, blah blah high winds, temperature, blah blah.” 

Keith snorted and even though the bond was stretched too thin for a connection, Lance still felt a wave of fondness. “I don’t believe you.”

“What, you’re doubting my science knowledge?” Lance could feel the temperature of the air rising the nearer they got to the open mouth of the volcano. The forest below them wavered as if a wind blew, but at Lance’s altitude it was a very calm, still night. He shivered despite the heat. Oh, it definitely knew they were there. He drew the speeder closer to Blue and wished that he could still connect to Keith at this distance.

“Maybe.” Keith mumbled, his mouth twisting as he tried to hide a smile.

Lance’s belly butterflies were interrupted by a crackle of energy as laser fire zinged past his helmet. “Fuck!” He yelped, reflexively jerking the speeder to the side but angling toward where the shot had originated. He was about to fire back, blaster in hand and shot lined up, but what he saw stopped him. “...fuck.” He dodged another shot narrowly.

“Lance!” Urgent and pitched higher from fear, Keith drew up Blue to block Lance from where he’d targeted. “Are you okay? What was that?” The laserfire was too weak to do any damage to Blue, luckily, but Lance was a pretty little target if he wasn’t careful.

“Fine, they missed me.” Blue’s torso interrupted the brief view he had of a Galran civilian who had shot at him. “Look,” Lance bit back a frustrated groan, “we can’t fire on them.” He wanted nothing more than to have an enemy to fight, to feel like he was doing something. Was every time they encountered these damned vines going to be like this? Adrenaline and fighting instincts chomping at the bit only to have nowhere to go? Keith and Lance might need to step up their sparring schedule and find more places they could land on to fight it out.

“They just shot at you,” Keith spat, “and you’re saying we can’t—”

“Keith!” Lance snapped, maneuvering around Blue. He snapped his foot down and the speeder surged forward toward the volcano’s rim. He kept his eyes on the forest below and used the heat of the volcano to direct the speeder. “They were in civilian clothes. And they…” They looked scared. His helmet had automatically zoomed in on the threat. Whomever they were, they looked terrified and were shaking badly. They had brightly colored traditional Daibazaali clothes and no armor to be seen. This wasn’t some Galran ex-soldier with a grudge. “We have to assume they’re innocent until we have proof. There’s no way right now for us to scan them and see if they’re being controlled by the vines.” The vines were already all over the planet, odds were that they were being controlled.

“Then let’s get Red and get out.” Keith urged Blue forward. Lance was supposed to be covering the rear but he made sure that Blue stayed between him and the Galran he’d seen. It was odd that the two shots weren’t followed by any others, but now wasn’t the time to land and investigate. His mind could come up with plenty of horrors as to why the Galran had stopped.

He understood Keith’s about the situation. He felt it himself. At least during the war you could easily shoot who shot you. For now, he had to focus on keeping alert and providing sniper cover. So far there hadn’t been anything that could hurt Blue to come to play. He was the real at risk target for now.

They circled around the volcano, putting distance between where Lance had been shot at. There were a handful of others that took pot-shots at them, but most of them bounced harmlessly off of Blue. They all seemed to be grouped in one area that they were able to leave behind. Still, it was odd that the shooting didn’t last that long at all.

Lance sighed and, after some very tense minutes of constantly scanning their surroundings, they drew up close enough to look down into the lava. The sensors had indeed been useless and his eyes ached from straining them in the fading light. Before he could even get a read out, two glowing yellow eyes peered up from the bubbling molten rock. Red raised her head, the lava sliding off her and revealing the damage done. Her right ear was crushed in on itself, the right cheek plate and hinge completely missing, her lower jaw hanging crookedly. Lance could just barely see parts of the mouth cannon and cockpit, meaning there was no way that he or Keith could pilot her. 

Red didn’t get much further than that before the trees started rustling so loudly that Lance recoiled and pulled up on the speeder. It was near deafening, like the roar of a tsunami. Branches grew at alarming rates and vines whipped out to weave themselves together. They were going to try to cap off the volcano and stop Red from getting out. Lance sat frozen in place, his eyes wide as the terror of his nightmares crept along the edges of his mind.

“Lance, c’mon!” Keith’s shout jerked him out of it, his eyes flicking to where Blue was already blasting ice at the nearest edges of the forest.

“Right behind you!” Lance brought up his bayard and grit his teeth as it shifted to a long range pulse rifle not unlike what he’d had with Red’s bayard, albeit heavier. It was nothing like Hunk’s cannon, but it was just what he needed to blast the frozen vines to shatter them. He couldn’t both steer and shoot while balancing it, but it wouldn’t be an issue to stay in one spot and take multiple shots as Keith and Blue duck and wove.

Well, not until he started to take fire from the direction of the forest. So much for leaving behind the Galra tribe that had shot at him before. The aim was horrible but they were bound to get lucky sooner or later. He shifted the bayard from rifle to shield so quickly his head spun with the energy it required, jerking the speeder’s controls back as he took heavy fire. It was oddly stuttered, like it took nearly five ticks to reload, even though reloading wasn’t necessary.

He leaned a little as a lucky shot hit the shield and the bump to the controls made the speeder lower dangerously close to the vines now grasping for him. He braced the bayard on his upper arm to protect his left side as he steered away and pulled back, grumbling. “This might not work. They really don’t like me shooting the ice.”

Blue swerved and whipped her tail around, blasting the latest stretch of ice. “I noticed!” Keith’s teeth were grit as he growled. He really didn’t like it when Lance got shot at. Lance was flattered. “Get out of their range and give me an overview. These vines keep coming but they can’t be infinite.”

“Right.” Lance shot up, ignoring the dizziness that came with the sudden change in altitude outside of a Lion. He focused on breathing and looking at the forest as a whole. Easier said than done. As the suns had set, the ability to differentiate the rocky planet surface from the plant life had disappeared. “I can barely tell what’s what any significant distance out. It’s all black.” If only… Blue, can you transfer that sensornet over to the speeder? I just need to be able to see what is and isn’t forest.

You’ll need to come into range, and that will put you into firing range.

Right. Of course. That’s just how today’s going for me. He grinned crookedly at Blue’s huff of affection crossed with begrudging amusement. “Keith, I can’t see anything useful. I’m coming in close so Blue can help me out. Once I can see the difference between the forest and everything else…” He didn’t wait for Keith to agree and flew in closer, keeping his shield up while Blue continued to blast the vines, alternating between freezing them and shattering them between mouth and tail weapons. She was working her way around the mouth of the volcano.

“Keep us between you and them.” The graceful, twisting of Blue’s body simplified from artful finesse to more purposeful movement.

“Gottit, Fearless Leader.” Lance smirked.

The vines seemed to be strengthening right where Blue was blasting, able to take her hits and regrow quicker each time. They weren’t making any progress in making a hole big enough for Red to escape. Lance grit his teeth as another shot from below slammed into his shield and nearly threw him off the speeder. He rolled quickly instead, clinging as hard as he could as he didn’t have good enough momentum to easily keep himself seated while upside down. The shots sounded more evenly spaced this time and he was damned glad he was the second-best pilot he knew. He’d like to see someone else stay close enough to Blue while getting shot at!

The moment the sensornet popped up on the speeder’s screen and he could swipe it up to his HUD, he jackknifed up into the air and hopefully out of shooting range. He leaned a little to look over the edge of the speeder to view the ground and snarled. This was damn-near pointless. “Keith, stop circling. The forest keeps moving in, replacing what you and Blue take out. You’re just giving it time to react.”

“Then what the fuck do you suggest?” Keith rolled Blue out of the way of a particularly vicious stab from a trunk-thick vine that had punched for the Lion’s abdomen.

“Stay in one place as much as you can.” Lance looked around them, trying to discern where all the vines were coming from. Had they built up in the ground? What was feeding them so they could keep growing? They had to be using vast amounts of energy to grow as quickly as they did… “We’ll exhaust what it has in this quadrant, and when it can no longer pull what it has close by, it will have to pull from further out and it will hopefully react slower.”

“And if it’s feeding equally from all directions?” Keith demanded even as Blue shot up high and blasted the vines with ice. They no longer did laps, but circled tightly in one area, hitting it hard over and over.

Lance bit his bottom lip, thinking hard. “Then we just have to hope Red can blast out of there after Blue freezes everything.” They didn’t have many other options, not when Red had taken such extensive damage. Until they knew more about the vines, they were at a disadvantage. He’d followed up with Pidge not a full week ago on their progress and while they had identified that it was familiar they couldn’t place it. They needed more data. Hopefully what the sensornet was collecting now would be useful to them.

“I’m going to shorten my range for a wider blast, can you cover me?” Keith and Blue arched and did a back flip to get out of range of another strike, tail whipping around to blast the frozen swath of vines.

“Like a blanket.” Lance steadied the speeder and switched his bayard form again. He could be tired later, right now he had vines to blast. The more that fell into the bubbling lava the better. Red, you doing okay?

Absolutely not. She snapped like splitting logs in a bonfire. I’ve been watching you all fight while I’m powerless to do anything. Lance could only imagine her frustration. He ached to reach out to her and pull her close to comfort her. Physically or mentally, he wouldn’t be picky—except for the fact that he wouldn’t survive getting close enough to touch her.

We just need you to be ready to bolt. Blue’s roar shook Lance to his core as a much wider swath of vines froze over. She dove toward the frozen mass and pulled back sharply, kicking it into the volcano, breaking some of the rocky edge. Lance’s gaze flicked to Red as she bobbed in the lava, the thick, molten rock rippling with her movements. Red, can you manipulate the lava…?

Red cocked her head a tiny bit. Not well, and not much with my energy reserves so low.

But they didn’t need that much, just enough to make some space. A grin slowly spread as he reached for Blue to invite her in to see what he was thinking. It never stopped amazing him how easy it was to share a plan when the others were simply in his thoughts. If only Keith could be on the same level, but maybe when his bond was restored with Red it would be possible.

“Lance, what’s with the mastermind grin?” Keith’s voice snapped Lance from his thoughts. 

That’s right. They were still connected via vidcomm. “Keithy-boy, you’re going to be bowing to my astonishing genius in a few minutes when we get out of here. For now, let me and Blue drive for a hot sec.”

“You drive? No way. Not until you bring that speeder in.”

“No can do, I need to provide covering fire.” Blue might be safe from the laser fire, but Red was smaller, and wounded. He’d barely seen any of her body, but he was sure that was because she was trying to hide how hurt she really was. Plus, the vines wouldn’t just sit idly by. “I can do both. Give it up to me, Kogane.” He had already half-slipped into Blue and together they leaped for the skies. 

“Fine!” Keith threw his hands up when the HOTAS pulled out of his hands from Lance’s influence. He hadn’t really let Keith have a choice.

Vines tried to reach for them but they had a maximum range and it was so satisfying to see that it was definitely shorter than before. They whipped around and dove toward the volcano, blasting a path with Blue’s laser mouth cannon. Vines whipped out and snatched at her, but Lance had slipped back toward his own mind enough that he could blast the visibly thinner tendrils.

The vines struggled to heal themselves from the cannon blast, and the rock underneath remained uncovered, sliced deep. From the speeder he could see the glow of the lava through it from the inner basin. Lance shifted again back into Blue, almost dizzy with it as Blue wheeled around and came for another blast, crisscrossing with the first. Another graceful arch away from the vines had her flipping mid-air to come down hard to hit the sliced triangle of rock. 

The scream of her aerial blasters switching from pushing her down to back up rang in Lance’s ears. He didn’t look away from the now-open ‘vee’ in the volcano’s rim as Red pushed up, every bit of functional plating flared out to shove lava with her up and out of the hole, burning and engulfing the vines. Lava moved slowly and Red struggled to jump free, and fly away. Lance shot at any surviving vines that tried to grab at her as she managed to gain just enough altitude.

Red’s under-plate mechanics glowed from the heat. She shook off the lava and her plating jerkily closed as it severely hindered her ability to fly. Through Blue’s keen gaze, Lance could spot other sections of massive damage, like the missing plate at her throat, the crushed back right paw, multiple holes in her plating, and the fact that half her tail was missing.

Blue flew to her, pulling away from Lance’s control—but not their link—to dip under Red and take her weight. It felt awkward through the connection, and his back burned even though he was far from the heat. Blue caught one of Red’s paws in her mouth to help keep her in place as she headed for space. Lance sucked in a breath and nearly coughed at the burning sensation in his mouth. This was worse than the time he tried a ghost pepper on a dare.

Lance struggled to catch up, aiming for the hatch in her belly to get back inside before they broke through the atmosphere. It was difficult with the pain radiating through his body and the exhaustion dragging at him. He managed to get the speeder back inside, however, it wasn’t graceful and it ended up slamming into one side of the bay as he hit the other wall. His ears rang as he blinked. His whole body swayed as he struggled to push himself up.

His vision swam when he was lifted. “Keith?” When did he get down here?

Keith frowned down at him, the tips of his upper canines dimpling his bottom lip. “You’re burning up.” Lance’s head lolled and his forehead connected with Keith’s wonderfully cool jaw. When had his helmet come off? Had he lost consciousness? “Lance. Hey.” Keith bounced him a little as he carried him up the steep alternating-tread staircase and up into the cramped washroom.

“Hi.” Lance beamed at Keith and his pretty, worried, Galran eyes. “‘M hot, huh? I knew it. Everyone digs me.”

Keith scoffed and propped Lance against the tiny counter and started to tug at his armor. Lance made a startled noise and grabbed at Keith’s wrists as he pulled off his chest piece. “Lance, please. You need — your armor — cool shower — overheating.” It was like every time Lance blinked, sound no longer existed. His eyes were heavy, his movements like swimming through honey.

Then the black clung to him and was hard pressed to let go.

Chapter 17: Aftermath

Summary:

Being linked to the Lions can have consequences.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Lance jerked with a broken yelp as cold water dumped over him. Somehow he was now in the shower, skimmed down to his underwear with a fully dressed Keith holding him up. He shivered, clumsily trying to push Keith away with zero luck as he blinked water out of his eyes. Every droplet was like stabbing slivers of ice on his skin, prickling painfully wherever it hit.

“Wh-what the qu-quiznak, m-m-man?” His jaw ached with how hard his teeth were chattering. He gave up trying to push Keith away and instead fisted his hands at the edges of Keith’s hood over his collar bones. At least he’d been able to steady himself, although his feet stung uncomfortably from the frigid shower water.

Keith ignored him to instead run his hands up from Lance’s waist to his shoulders, bare hands splayed over Lance’s back. Lance jerked closer to Keith’s chest to get away from his hands. His skin hurt, screaming the way a bad sunburn did when pressed against cheap vinyl seating for too long and peeled away. Flayed. “Fuck.” He swore and continued to shiver, tucking in close to Keith for warmth. “Fuck you.”

“You’re welcome.” Keith shook under him, no doubt laughing at him. Jerk.

“Fuck you, you fucker.”

“You were burning up. I could swear you were literally smoking.” Lance grumbled some more at Keith’s words but stayed under the water because moving out of it hurt worse. “What happened?” He murmured, his voice as gentle as the hands that carefully avoided his burns. One hand cupped the base of his skull, protecting his sensitive scalp from the stinging water.

Lance sighed and tucked his face into the crook of Keith’s neck. He closed his eyes as he went back to what he remembered, the last few minutes before making it into the speeder’s hangar. It was hard to straighten out the details when he’d been half in his own mind and half in Blue’s. There had been so much going on all at once that he couldn’t pull away from her, he hadn’t even thought about doing so despite the pain he’d been in.

“Too much…” Lance mumbled, just loud enough to be heard over the water. Even now, he remained connected to Blue. As much as he wanted to pull back, it was the only way he knew Red was still with them. It hurt him to keep the connection this deeply but he was scared to pull away. “I’m still with Blue, but I’m also here… Red’s cooling down now but she was so hot…”

“You’re still connected?” Keith pulled back a little, the hand from the back of Lance’s head sliding to his chin to tilt his head up to look at him. Lance watched Keith inspect him, his hard, purplish-grey gaze locked on the burns across his mouth. “Lance, you need to completely come back to yourself.”

Lance heard him, of course he did. But those intense eyes were staring at his mouth. What he was asked for was easier said than done, especially when Keith was his taller, beefier self. Heh. Beef Keef.

“Lance!” Keith shook him a little when he didn’t respond immediately.

Lance blinked and refocused at the worry in Keith’s voice. “But what if she needs me? What if she needs help with Red?”

“Then she’ll ask.” His voice had gentled considerably since the sharp syllable of his name. “You shouldn’t stay connected like this when it’s hurting you.” Keith’s thumb lightly stroked under his bottom lip, the painful, oversensitive skin there burning for a completely different reason.

Lance licked his bottom lip reflexively and Keith’s thumb stilled. “Okay.” It was harder to let go. Even with the adrenaline fading away and the knowledge that they were safe, that Blue didn’t need him right there, it was hard to uncouple their minds. She didn’t even seem to notice when he finally fully slipped back into himself. The stinging in his skin remained, but mostly where the cold water beat down on him. 

Keith reached around him and turned off the water with a drag of his fingers over the embedded screen. “I don’t think you’re actually burnt, which is a relief. However, we should probably still take preventative measures and apply a burn gel.” He pulled back and his gaze flicked down once, briefly. “How far…?” His cheeks warmed.

“I can burn gel my own ass, thank you very much.” Lance huffed, his own cheeks pink as he pushed past Keith as best he could to grab a towel. The first one he threw at Keith’s face to muffle his laughter. He carefully pat his face dry with another, looking at his reflection in the mirror. It really did look like he’d burned himself, and it was fascinating to see the pattern that so clearly echoed the plating of Red’s foreleg which Blue still held to support her Pride member. “Can you imagine what would have happened if I was linked with Red when—”

“I can. I don’t want to.” Keith was a lot closer than Lance expected. Between the proximity and how he was now dabbing Lance’s back with his towel—while he continued to drip cold water on the floor—Lance jumped. “Does it hurt?” Keith pulled the towel away, waiting for Lance to reply.

“No, it’s… you just startled me.” Lance had his towel held to his chest for warmth more than anything else. He hunched his shoulders a little. “You’re… fine.”

Keith hummed noncommittally and continued to gently dry his back. “I’ll go grab the burn gel while you, uh, finish up?”

“You’re not tracking water all over the place.” Lance turned, a fist planted firmly on his hip. “Strip.”

Keith spluttered, his cheeks darkening rapidly. “E-excuse me?!”

“You’re dripping wet.” Lance wrapped his towel around his waist firmly and tucked the ends so it would stay in place. A bit of a shimmy of his hips and an ungraceful, not very discreet yank pulled off Lance’s wet boxers without exposing himself. He dropped the dripping garment with his other discarded clothing before waving at Keith again. "Strip down and dry off."

Lance turned back to the mirror to inspect the burn, wondering if his after-sun lotion would be enough but since it was inexplicably magical-space-science adjacent, he figured the overkill would probably be a good idea. It took Keith a minute before he started moving but Lance carefully ignored him. He didn't know why Keith was being avoidant after he had grown up in the privacy-what-privacy-everything's-communal Garrison, and then ended up with the Blade that had every gender and species sharing everything to fit everyone into the limited barracks spaces.

Keith left and returned with the burn gel, having changed into a spare Blade of Marmora armor set. Lance stared at Keith’s chest with a slight frown to his lips. Would Keith change to the Voltron armor when Red was all fixed up? His musing was interrupted by Keith’s ungloved fingers tilting his chin up, a bright blue gel on his other fingers that he smeared along Lance’s jaw. There was a tiny, subtle curl at the corners of Keith’s mouth.

Lance huffed. “Enjoying yourself and your extra inch?” He bit his tongue and resolutely ignored what that sounded like. Truthfully, Keith was nearly three inches taller than him when he was all… glowy-eyed and toothy.

Keith grinned, purposely showing off the sharp canines. “Inches, and yes. Maybe I should just stay like this.” Lance’s eyes narrowed at him and Keith kept his gaze just slightly off from his own. So he could enjoy Lance’s not-pouting, he’d bet.

“C’mon, let me have, like, my one thing. You’re all tiny badass—”

Keith spluttered. “I’m not tiny—”

“—let me be the tall, dashing hero that we both know I am. It’s all I have going for me.” Lance knocked his head back and dramatically pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. He peered at Keith and smirked at the put-upon sigh from his counterpart.

“Turn around, hero.” 

Lance chuckled and did so. The gel was cool along his skin, but not unpleasant like the shower water had been. He braced his hands on the sink and dipped his head as Keith rubbed the gel into his abused skin. “...You have more going for you than that.”

“Hm?” Lance tipped his head to the side before twisting a little to look over his shoulder at Keith. The other paladin had his head ducked, his face mostly hidden by his long bangs. 

“Your height is not your only asset, Chosen One.” 

Lance loved it when Keith sassed him. He chuckled, shaking his head at Keith. “Yeah, yeah. You know I was just kidding.” Keith’s noncommittal hum ended the conversation and they were silent as he finished up. “I’ll finish up and then we can call Coran to wormhole us back to New Altea?”

“Do you think it’s safe to wormhole with the damage Red’s taken?” Keith paused in washing the remnants of the gel from his fingers.

“No idea, I planned on asking her.” They were going to need to land back on the moon they’d started at to make sure that Blue and Red didn’t have any vines on them before they went everywhere. Another quarantine perimeter would need to be made, too. “But first…”

“Yeah, I’ll call Mom and Kolivan.” Keith rubbed the side of his neck. “This is—”

“A mess. Yeah. I’m worried that it’s going to keep getting bigger.” It already felt like it was too big for Lance to handle. He knew he wasn’t really on his own, but there were still a lot of people depending on him because he was Lion Touched. They assumed that he had all the answers, but really…. Really, he was just as scared as everyone else—maybe even moreso. He’d always wanted to be a leader and have a chance to prove himself. Now he wanted to give the leadership back to whomever would take it and run away just far enough that he could breathe.

“Hey.” Lance looked up from where his hands gripped the edge of the sink and over to Keith as he lingered in the doorway. Keith shifted his weight from one foot, to the other, and back. “We’ll figure this out.” He shrugged one shoulder, tipping his head toward it. “We make a good team.”

Lance smiled slowly, the anxiety that had started to bubble up in his stomach settling just a bit. “Damn right, we do. Now shoo.” His hands went to the towel tie and Keith’s gaze flicked down briefly before he ducked out and left. Lance snorted and shook his head, not even bothering with the door.

Once the gel was applied on all the potential burns, he got dressed and went to head into the cockpit when his tablet chimed. He paused and went to grab it, answering the call. “Hey, Pidge.”

“Lance! I completed the spectrometer I mentioned for scanning for vine presence.” They had a handheld gun, smaller than anything he’d expect to shoot with. If it was small in Pidge’s hands, it would be tiny in his own. “Strangely, it has an eerily similar signature to that dark quintessence we dealt with at the end of the war.”

Lance’s blood ran cold and he stared at them. “You mean… like what Honerva and Allura…” What they had given up their lives to reverse, at the end of it all. Hadn’t they sacrificed enough? It was back and going after the Lions and everyone else?

“Yeah. I sent some to your sister and Acxa, they’ve covered the McClain farm and haven’t found anything.” Lance slumped with relief against the nearest wall.

“Thanks, Pidge.” He paused, an idea beginning to form. “Hey… Any chance you want to wormhole out to us and scan Red and Blue over before we head back?” It would be easier, and then Pidge would be available for the repairs that Red definitely needed.

“You found her?” Pidge perked up, a soft awe-struck look crossed over their face. Lance felt the same way. He knew he’d find her but at the same time it felt like he never would.

“Yeah. She’s in rough shape, you might need to clear your schedule for a while.” Pidge had already jumped to their feet and half-turned away from the holo-screen to start packing. 

“Consider it done, lion-boy.” They didn’t stop packing, already digging out a box from under a workbench. 

Lance was happy to just watch them. That Pidge was so eager to see him and Keith and the Lions made his chest feel tight with happiness and warmth. “Lion-man, thank you.”

“Uh-huh. I’ll add it to your list of no doubt fancy titles.” Pidge turned back to look at the holo-screen and smirked at Lance. “I’m signing off, I need to contact New Altea and see how soon I can get transport and then get out to you. Send them your coordinates in the meantime?”

“I’m sure Keith already has messaged everyone on that secure group that Kolivan cooked up. But I’ll make sure to get it to you if he hasn’t. And hey,” he angled his tablet to show off the locker that had five spare sets of blue Voltron armor. “Bet you look great in blue.”

“Lance, I swear, if you wink at me, I will glue your eyelids shut again.”

“Fine, then I’ll just have to say, wink.” He grinned when they sighed loudly. “Until we meet again, my dearest Pidgeon—”

“BYE.” 

The call disconnected and Lance headed into the cockpit, laughing quietly to himself. Kosmo trotted over as soon as the door opened, snuffling at Lance’s casual clothes. He gently pushed Kosmo’s face away when the canine insisted on shoving his snout up under his shirt. 

Keith looked up from the status screen and frowned at him. “You should be in your armor, we’re not exactly in allied space and we could be attacked at any time.”

“I’m a little too tender to wriggle into the skin-tight under armour right now, Keith. Let me live dangerously for a little while.” He rested his arms along the back of the chair as Keith twisted and tucked his feet up under him to look up at him. His eyes were back to human-normal, as was the rest of his features. “Did you share our location?”

“Yeah.” A soft ping of a new message came through and Keith pulled it up as they both looked at the screen.

Team Voltron, I’ll be headed to New Altea in under a varga via wormhole and after a short re-route, will be wormholing to your location via civilian pod. Make sure Blue’s chest access is formatted accordingly to accommodate.

“That’s so formal.” Lance’s nose wrinkled at Pidge’s message. "Adult life ruined our Pidgeon. What are we going to do?" He stepped to the side of the pilot chair, flinging a hand out. Kosmo tipped his nose up to sniff at Lance's hand. Could have treats.

"Who's this 'we' you speak of?" Keith propped his elbows on his knees and his chin on a palm. 

"Our little baby," Lance sniffed dramatically, quivering his bottom lip. He turned the biggest puppy eyes he could at Keith. "They're all grown up."

"Ah," Keith nodded as if that explained everything. "So you have a death wish."

"I'm not ready for this empty nest, Keith." He continued, as if Keith hadn't said anything. "All our babies have grown up and left us."

"I'm leaving you for another man." Keith drawled, utterly deadpan, as he stood and stepped around Lance. 

"What?!"

Keith tossed a grin at him over his shoulder. "I promised Shiro I'd call him back."

Notes:

Y'all, things are starting to get into motion! I've written nearly five chapters in two weeks and I haven't slowed yet. Thank you again to all those commenters out there, you're really helping me feel the love 💜

Chapter 18: Separate

Summary:

Lance's return to New Altea is brief.

Notes:

My partner has been away all week so I've gotten a lot of writing done in her absence. I've been busting out chapters over here because we've gotten into some of the stuff I've been excited about! I can't wait to share it all with you.

Chapter Text

There wasn’t enough space in Blue’s chest for Lance and Keith to welcome Pidge. Lance wasn’t sure who was more wiggly, himself or Kosmo, at Pidge’s imminent arrival. Probably Kosmo, but only because he could hear them coming before Lance could. The moment the door slid open, Lance was striding forward and scooping Pidge up into his arms, spinning them around while Kosmo bounced and barked.

Pidge slapped at Lance’s arms, wriggling and biting back laughter. “Put me down, you miscreant!”

“Pidgeon! Words hurt.” He squeezed a little more and rubbed a stubbly cheek against Pidge’s smooth one, messing up their glasses and making them screech. He finally set them down before they started smacking somewhere that would hurt. His back was still tender, after all.

“Not as much as a knife would.” They grumbled. They backhanded Lance lightly in the stomach and he gave them space to get mauled by Kosmo next. He couldn’t help but laugh as the wolf propped his paws on Pidge’s shoulders and snuffled their face curiously. 

“Kosmo, down.” Keith moved toward the two to wrangle the wolf but Pidge wrapped their arms around the fluffy beast. Pidge couldn't resist the siren call, either. To bury their fingers into the thick coat and give Kosmo scritches—Lance fell victim to it every time he pet Kosmo anywhere other than the top of his head. 

“Nah, he’s good.” Kosmo rested his head atop Pidge’s, tongue lolling happily. The human made a face as the tongue hit their forehead. “On second thought…” 

Keith stepped forward to collect Kosmo, but he bamph'd to the back of the cockpit, tail wagging high and chest pressed to the ground in a play-bow. Keith sighed as the space wolf growled playfully at him. The moment he had pulled his hood up and mask on (he knew what Kosmo wanted), the wolf teleported onto him and away, taking Keith with him.

Lance and Pidge stared at where Keith had just been for a moment before either spoke. "Well," Lance began, affecting an Altean accent as he found his verbal footing. "We received your missive, it was all very," he raised a hand to twist his fingers as if to curl the end of an imaginary handlebar mustache. "Business," he finished after the pause. 

"Ah yes," Pidge played along with the accent and leaned toward Lance. "Well, you see, I am here on…" they raised their eyebrows and mimicked Lance's moustache twist, "business."

"Gasp!" Lance nearly choked on the laughter he was trying to contain and the flush on Pidge's cheeks clearly indicated that they were in the same boat. "Then you should get suited up for," another imaginary moustache twist, "business!" Pidge lost control of their laughter first, but Lance was close behind.

Lance lamented only having had a brief respite out of the armor as he and Pidge changed. Pidge had shoved a fresh set into his arms and made him change in the cockpit while they used storage. Lance moved gingerly as he stripped down and wiggled into the snug and flexible under armor. He was snapping halves of the plating over his thighs when Pidge stepped out. All the blue accents had become green on Pidge’s armor.

"Aw, man, I forgot they would change color and not just size for you. I really wanted to see you in blue." Lance pouted as he continued to attach the plating. How had Pidge been so fast? He supposed it was because they weren't half comprised of burned skin and as sore as the day was long. 

"Aren't you the paladin of paladins, Mr Lion Touched? You should know our armor colors always reflect the Lion we share the strongest harmonic bond with." Pidge picked up the upper arm pieces and helped Lance snap them into place. The seams melted away as soon as everything was in place. Pidge probably knew exactly how it all worked, but it was beyond Lance.

“Everything I’ve been through over the past four months counts toward why I’ve forgotten, right? Because I think I deserve a pass.” He watched Pidge attach the last pieces of his armor, then pulled on his helmet. “I at least deserve a nap.” Specifically one in a warm, sunny spot with the sound of an ocean in the background.

Pidge looked him over slowly before pulling on their helmet. “Yeah, you do.” They patted Lance’s arm. “I’m glad you had Keith with you. Doing all this alone…”

“Aw, Pidgeon…” Lance tugged them in and wrapped Pidge up in a serious hug, smiling when small arms locked firmly around his middle. “Got you now, too. You said Green was next, I distinctly recall dibs.”

Pidge nodded, their helmet scraping along Lance’s breastplate. “Damn right, McClain.” They squeezed him when Lance snorted.

“Are you guys coming?” Keith’s voice came over the comms in their helmets. “Or do I need to continue having a staring contest with two giant metal lions who can’t talk to me?”

“Coming, fearless leader.” Lance sighed, heading for the mouth exit as Blue was already in position from Keith leaving earlier. 


Seeing all the damage up close and personal was painful. Pidge took notes of everything so they could get tools and materials organized in New Altea where they would be doing their repairs as soon as possible. Blade of Marmora agents were on their way for the planet’s quarantine, but they still needed to wait for them to arrive. 

Lance knelt atop Red’s nose, slowly cranking a ratcheting strap to pin Red’s jaw in place. Keith had shifted and was using the boosted strength to help lift and position her jaw as best he could. A lot of metal was bent and they couldn’t close it how it should have been. Is this okay? He stroked his hand over Red’s paneling. 

It’s better than when it just hung there. Red admitted, a grinding rumble starting and ending too soon in her chest. It hurt Lance to see and hear her so messed up.

We’ll get you fixed up in no time. Don’t you worry. Lance finished ratcheting the strap and wrapped the loose end around a few times so it wouldn’t flap loose. He leaned back against the space between her eyes, looking up into the night sky above them. You think you can get through a wormhole in one piece?

I’m not in one piece, Kit. Red’s voice was drier than a desert and Lance sighed loudly at her. Before he could retort, she continued. I should be able to make the trip.

Good. And once you’re all better… Again, that grinding, broken purr. It hurt his heart to hear it, but it was good to know that she echoed the sentiment. Once she was fixed up, they could repair their bond. Maybe he’d be able to talk to Blue and Red simultaneously, he didn’t know. It certainly would make conversations easier. I’ll go see if the others need help.

He rubbed his knuckles affectionately against her eyebrow ridge before sliding off her head and hitting the surface gently. If they’d been dealing with Earth’s gravity, that would have hurt. He jogged down toward Red’s ribs where Pidge was tack welding a protective mesh over all the open wounds in Red’s outer plating. Keith now held a heavy bundle of it as Pidge arranged the edge as they went.

“Looks like this ride’s about to have a height requirement.” He joked as he jogged over. Pidge’s arms were stretching high and approaching the edge of their reach.

“I’m still tall enough to kick your ass, lion boy.” Pidge groused and put him to work tack welding. With something to focus on, time flew by. Pidge conducted as many scans as they could, gathering all the data they could on Red’s current condition. By the time the mesh was fully tacked on, Keith had stepped away to talk to the first Blades of Marmora squad that had touched down. Kolivan had sent the closest group for relief, and luckily this squad had been closer than the last group. 

Together, they secured Red to Blue’s back. The wormhole that Pidge had come through had a hold time of two hours maximum. It took less energy to keep a wormhole open than to open a new one just to bring the three Paladins back to New Altea. Lance settled into the pilot’s seat with Pidge and Keith behind him, Kosmo had draped himself across Lance’s feet. Blue’s liftoff was as smooth as they could make it. Robot lion or not, Red was in pain and Lance was selfishly grateful that he couldn’t feel it himself. Do you think Pidge and Keith can handle Red’s repairs without us?

Blue was quiet for a moment before she nudged at the deeper part of Lance’s mind like gentle waves licking at bare toes. He let her in, of course he did, and let her take stock of his emotions and thoughts. Oriande?

It can only be me and you. I know there will be pushback, it’s not safe to go alone but… It would be a greater risk to whomever waited outside. No one knew how long Lance would be in there. Keith would argue with him about it. Red, too. But he knew… he had to do this. He just had this feeling that this was what he had to do next. It was such a big unknown and it scared him, but if he kept waiting…? He needed answers because everyone was expecting him to have them. He’d get them all on Oriande. He had to.

Why do you ask me, Little One, when I can see that you have already made up your mind?

Lance had no retort for her calm response and too soon they were going through the wormhole. It always felt like he was going to get crushed into his belly button, but in an oddly painless way. He still hadn’t gotten used to the feeling. He doubted that he ever would.

Coran had prepared a massive workshop sometime between Pidge’s departure from Earth and their arrival back on New Altea. A feature, certainly, as they had only been gone for just under three hours. It was able to fit both Lions so they could untie Red from Blue’s back and Blue could carefully set her down. Blue retreated back outside to her dias and curled up to wait for him. 

Lance fidgeted at the sideline as Pidge greeted some engineers who approached. Reinforcements, he supposed. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Keith settling in beside him until he spoke pointedly. 

Lance jerked, his knee hiking up across his body and his hands flying up. It was the worse defensive pose—if it could even be called defensive—ever. He felt silly for startling. From Keith’s tone, Lance knew Keith had been repeating himself to get Lance’s attention and Lance had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t reacted at first. “Keith!” He acknowledged quickly as he relaxed back to something one might consider normal. “You need a bell for that catsuit, shit.”

Keith slowly raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms over his chest. “Uh-huh. Perfect accessory for a stealth operative, Lance.” Lance narrowed his eyes at the dismissive tone. He was being serious, dammit. And the Blades were hardly stealth operatives any more. Who ever heard of stealth humanitarianism, huh? The playfulness in Keith’s eyes dimmed and he leaned in a little, going so far as to bump their shoulders together. “Are you okay? You’re… jittery.”

Lance looked at him. His eyes locked onto Keith’s. He couldn’t bring himself to break it in order to lie and he could never lie to him head-on. He’d tried. “I… Blue and I are going to Oriande and you can’t come.”

“What?” No one could bristle with indignation like Keith could. If he were just a bit more Galra, Lance might have been able to see his hackles actually rise. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lance raised his hands briefly in what would be an ‘I’m unarmed’ pose before dropping his fists to his hips. “Since when were you the boss of me?”

“Since you called me Fearless Leader.” Keith snapped. Lance flinched at the tone and the crease between Keith’s brows softened the tiniest bit. “Lance,” Keith almost sounded like he was trying to plead with him, his voice softer. “You can’t go to Oriande by yourself.”

“Like hell I can’t. You can’t come with me.” He jabbed a finger at Keith’s chest. “What are you going to do, float around for days? Weeks? It's not exactly safe territory, and we don't have enough personnel to patrol unoccupied space in case anything goes wrong.” Lance knew he was right and he knew he had to get to Oriande. The idea of it was starting to burn under his skin with urgency. He just needed Keith to see that.

The soft surprised shape of Keith’s mouth was at extreme odds with the sharp angles of his eyebrows. “Exactly! It isn’t safe! What if you come out and there’s someone there. Someone too big for you to handle?”

“And what if there isn’t?!” Lance threw his hands up. A prickle along the back of his neck made him grit his teeth. Of course they had an audience. He knew that they weren’t being quiet anymore. They were a spectacle now and people were staring. “Keith, you have to trust me!”

“I do trust you.” Keith insisted softly, looking hurt that Lance would insinuate that he didn’t.

“Do you?” He stepped away, towards the exit and towards Blue. He had to go, he itched with the need of it. If he hesitated any longer, Keith could convince him to stay. “This is… this is my mission, Keith. I’m the Chosen One. I’m the fucking Lion Touched.” He couldn’t stop talking. He was backing away, his words the only weapon he had to keep Keith back and everyone else out of his way. “I know what I’m doing, better than anyone else here.” He had to. He had to have all the answers, he had to do this. He was Chosen, wasn’t he? It had to mean something, didn’t it? 

“Lance…” Keith reached out toward him and Lance hopped a skipping step back and began to turn away.

“No. Fuck off, Kogane, I have to do this.” He bit his tongue before he could say anything worse and sprinted out. Keith might be in better shape, but Lance had longer legs and a head start. He reached for Blue mentally. She was ready for him to race up the ramp into the cockpit. Her mouth was barely fully closed before she leapt away into the air. His back hit the seat hard, nearly knocking the wind out of him but he hardly noticed.

His heart was already aching, anyway.

Chapter 19: Breakdown

Summary:

Sometimes you just need to talk to your best friend.

Chapter Text

Lance lasted all of twelve minutes of stubborn, proud silence before he caved. His shoulders slumped and he sighed heavily. His hands slipped from the HOTAS to drop between his knees. Slumping down in the pilot’s chair, he looked at the screens of the HUD showing him space around them and two trajectories: one with an ETA on how long it would take them to get to the Patrulian Zone, and one on how long it would take to go back to New Altea… and Keith.

He felt Blue slow to a near-stop, waiting for him to do something. Whether it was to take the controls or talk or something else he didn’t know what she wanted. He didn’t know what he wanted, either. He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned into them. Wasn’t Keith supposed to be the resident hot-head, the one who always charged ahead and ran off without him? The one who…

The one who left before others could leave him.

Fuck.

He started to reach for the HOTAS to turn around but his hands froze mid-air, trembling. He wanted to go back and apologize so badly but, even though his chest felt like his heart was about to rip in two, the back of his mind was screaming at him to go to Oriande. He just knew he needed to go to Oriande. Whatever he was meant to find there, it would be crucial to what they were doing. He couldn’t explain it beyond instinct and although he’d been known for his hunches being right most of the time… Well, he didn’t think he’d be able to convince Keith to let him go somewhere so dangerous on a gut feeling. 

He had to see this through, even if it meant hurting Keith for a little while longer. The entire universe could depend on him seeing this through, for all he knew. And yet, even filled with this conviction, he was at war with himself. He was self-admittedly cocky and had been so through the entire war—especially when it came to his gut feelings—but now that it was just him calling the shots with no Keith or Shiro or team to fall back on… 

You are not alone in this, Little One. Blue surrounded Lance like a swiftly rising tide. He curled his fingers into his palms and finally dropped his hands to his knees. The overwhelming want to hug someone felt like a crippling weight and he sagged forward with it.

It feels like it. Talking, aloud or not, to Blue in Spanish felt like a double-edged sword. He missed home and his family but he knew a part of it was that he knew his family would back him up. They would be Team Lance first and his aching heart wanted that.

You are family to me. Blue’s voice was a gentle whisper in his mind. There was a weight to ‘family’ with her. It was more than just family, it was their Pride. One that he was part of, even if he’d only truly bonded with one of the Lions so far. I am with you, whatever you decide.

Lance chewed his bottom lip and tucked his heels up onto the seat so he could hug his knees. I don’t know… it’s not that easy. She didn’t respond and they sat together in silence as Lance mulled it over. He almost wished that she was more active in the decision-making but he knew why she wasn’t. Blue’s connection to the other Lions was still gone. She was completely cut off from them all and she didn’t have their link to help guide their actions, nor did she have whatever this Lion Touched “intuition” was that Lance seemed to have.

Lance reached out to the screen on his left and typed in a communication code one-handed. The connection chimed twice before the other end answered.

“Oh, Lance, hi!” Romelle smiled happily at him. Her voice was hushed and, from the background, Lance could tell that she was in the South Wing library. 

“Heya, mi sol.” Okay, maybe calling Romelle ‘sunshine’ was laying it on a bit thick as far as hiding how messed up he was feeling goes but she didn’t seem suspicious of him yet. “Could you do me a favor? I need a wormhole to my destination. I’m always bothering Coran, so I thought I’d give him a break.”

Romelle frowned just the tiniest bit and Lance tensed. “You’re never a bother, Lance.” Oh, good, she hadn’t seen completely through him.

“Thanks. Sooo, if I sent you my coordinates…?”

Romelle laughed and shook her head. “I can get you that wormhole in about a half a varga. But you owe me, Lance. Quality friendship time.” She pointed at the screen and couldn’t fight back her smile when Lance held up both hands in surrender.

“You got it. We’ll hang, I promise. Gotta finish saving the universe first.” He sent over his starting coordinates and where he needed to go, roughly ten minutes away from the Patrulian Zone if traveling at Blue’s fastest speed. He didn’t want to be too close on arrival.

“I’ll ping you when there’s a dobosh left.” Lance nodded, his mind struggling with the terms as he’d been back on Earth long enough to nearly forget them. He had about forty minutes to kill and he was still an anxious, jittery mess. He ended the call after thanking her again and stood from the pilot’s seat to pace.

He hated being left to his own thoughts like this. Nearly this whole trip he had Keith to take him out of his head when he got like this but… that wasn’t exactly an option now, was it? He burned to call him and apologize, but he couldn’t. His pride was bruised enough and, apologies aside, he still had to do this. Doubt and anxiety churned in his stomach, making him feel shaky and a bit sick. He knew he was right, and he knew it was risky. What… what if something did happen and he never saw Keith or his family or his friends again? 

What if Keith was right? He’d run away like some kid in an argument with their fingers jammed in their ears so they couldn’t hear the other side. Because he knew if he’d stopped and listened to Keith, he wouldn’t have done this. He would have lost what frayed courage he had left to do this on his own. 

He swore and stomped back to his seat and typed in another communication code. He rubbed his gloved hands under the visor of his helmet, pressing at his eyes as he waited for the call to connect.

“Hey, man!” Hunk greeted brightly, only sounding a little distracted. There was a clatter of dishes behind him as well as other sounds of many hands in a kitchen. 

Lance peeked at him and tried to keep the misery from his voice. “Hey, buddy.”

Hunk didn’t even say anything, just met his gaze through the call and left the kitchen. Lance half-listened as Hunk directed someone to step in and take his place in the line. He retreated to someplace quieter, private. Maybe an office? Lance was too busy staring at the floor. A floor that was starting to blur before his eyes.

“Lance…?” Hunk’s voice was so gentle and just the tone made Lance’s heart ache. He missed Hunk so much. He always gave the best hugs. He could really go for a Hunk hug.

“Yeah.” His voice cracked and he sniffed hard, making a face at the horrible sound his congested nose made. “Hunk, I…” His throat tightened and he sat back and slid a hand back up to cover his eyes. He couldn’t handle meeting Hunk’s warm brown gaze. It just made everything feel worse.

“Lance, you gotta talk to me, bud. I can’t help if you can’t tell me.” Bless this man for dropping everything to talk when Lance could barely even speak.

Lance yanked off his helmet and dropped it to the ground so he could tuck up his knees and rest his flushed face on the cool material of the plating there. “It’s too much. It’s all too much and I can’t do it.” Whoever decided that Lance was the one to do this was a fool. At least with Voltron it had been the whole team thrown into the deep together and they had had guidance from Coran and… and Allura. 

Hunk waited patiently for him to elaborate and when he didn’t, prompted Lance to continue. Choked up but determined, Lance let everything out. Now was his chance to go into detail, to bare his soul to Hunk and tell him everything from the horrible, recurring dreams to the planets they couldn’t help to how badly off Red was. He felt as if he had talked for hours but Romelle would have pinged him by now if he had. His throat felt raw from being tight with the stress he shared. He hovered on the knife’s edge of tears, not quite tipping over but sounding as wrecked as if he had done so. 

“I-I feel like I have to have all the answers,” he was winding down, hiccups further spaced out, “that I need to know what’s coming. There’s this… this weight and I feel like I’m not running fast enough to keep it from crushing me.” It was hard to explain the absolute knowledge he had that he didn’t know enough but he knew where he needed to go to get his answers. That no one else could gain this knowledge but him, and that the difference between having it or not could mean countless lives. “I don’t know how I know but I know and it’s crushing me. I have to go to Oriande, there’s something there that will help us at least level the field.”

“Wasn’t that in the Patrulian Zone? The Patrulian Zone with the ship graveyard and the radiation? That Patrulian Zone?!” Lance winced at the strident tone of Hunk’s panicked voice.

“Uhh… yes?” He resolutely ignored his voice cracking and tried to give Hunk his most winning smile. He knew it fell flat, even without seeing Hunk’s expression. “I’ll be fine, Hunk, it wants me there this time.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. That’s fine, Lance. The giant white hole is somehow magically sentient and wants you there.”

Lance scrunched up his face and rubbed at his eyes. “Well, that lion-faced guardian does.” And, despite the fact that he couldn't recall it looking like a lion’s face before, he was confident he was right. It wanted him there, it wanted him to go to Oriande.

“Then that solves everything.” Hunk had recently talked to Pidge, Lance was sure of it. Hunk’s sarcasm game was always sharper after a recent exposure to their favorite gremlin. Hunk crossed his arms over his chest and stared Lance down hard. He didn’t keep it up for long and his shoulders slumped. “Lance, buddy, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to get hurt, either.” It was complicated. Without sounding completely self-absorbed, he knew that he was vital to the success of finding the Lions. The Lions that would be needed to defend the universe once more. If only he had proof. Lance had no way to prove to anyone that he was right. Even with the knowledge he could gain from Oriande, how would he get anyone to believe him? Keith didn’t even believe him anymore…

He must have been silent for too long, lost in his own thoughts. Hunk sighed and the smile he gave Lance was small and sad. It lacked his natural exuberance and it made Lance’s stomach twist with guilt. “I know you’re going through a lot. I’m sorry I derailed the topic with my panic.” Lance knew that look on his face, Hunk wanted to hug him as much as Lance wanted to hug Hunk back. “I kinda suck at handling all the space magic shenanigans and here you are in the middle of it. I wish I could do more.”

Lance lifted his head, his brows knit together. “Buddy, you’re—”

“Hey. No, Lance. I’m not doing enough for you. I know that. But I’m going to fix it.” He smiled a little more, like he had an idea and it settled him. “I’m going to try to clear up my schedule, delegate a little, and see if Pidge needs any help. When you’re ready for the Yellow Paladin, I’ll be ready, too.”

Romelle pinged him before he could think of what to say. He cleared his throat and uncurled himself, grabbing his helmet and pulling it back on which he tried to find the right words. “Thanks, Hunk. You’re the best. I gotta...”

“Just… let us know when you come back, okay? As soon as you can get a message out, I want to hear from you.” Lance nodded, biting his lip. “We’ll sit down and have a proper vent sesh, okay? Undivided attention and your favorite snacks.”

“Seriously. You’re the best.” Lance managed a smile as the wormhole bloomed in front of him. Lance took a steadying breath and looked back to the vidscreen. “I love you, buddy. You’ll be the first person I call.”

“Love you too, man. Talk soon.” Hunk waved a little and Lance waved back before ending the call.

Curling his fingers around the HOTAS, Lance discovered himself feeling lighter. There was still a great weight to his heart and shoulders. He doubted that he would be free of it anytime soon. For now, though, he was able to square his shoulders and take on the next step of his journey with confidence. 

As he slipped into that beautiful place where he and Blue existed together as one, he closed his eyes and roared.

Chapter 20: Oriande

Summary:

He made it, now what?

Chapter Text

The Patrulian Zone was just as eerie as Lance remembered it. 

Dark, lifeless ships were sharply backlit by the intensity of the white hole at the center of it all. Some of the ships looked like pristine but lifeless models from history books and some were ripped to fragments. They drifted in a lazy swirl around the centerpoint, fine debris lingering like a mist between larger pieces. He exhaled shakily and forced himself to take a breath. Last time he was here, they almost died. The Lions had been floating lifeless and the Castle had been out of power and the oxygen supply had dwindled so fast…

His break from all this had been too long and not long enough, it seemed. 

Lance took a few deep, calming breaths. His hands were surprisingly steady on the HOTAS despite the cold anxiety creeping along his spine. He was here. Now what? He knew he needed to get inside the white hole, but he couldn’t just wormhole inside like they did last time with Voltron. He didn’t have that ability and it wasn’t like he wanted to get the coordinates, hop back to New Altea and pop back out… That would take too long and someone could try to stop him.

He let go of the controls and tucked his feet up under himself, a bit of an awkward tailor’s seat, with the armrests in the way of his long legs. He fidgeted a little before resting his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. If the Guardian was a Lion like Blue and Red… maybe he could reach out and talk to them? He couldn’t get Blue any closer without feeling the push of the white hole. They were on the edge of the radiation field, too.

Lance brushed his mind against Blue’s fondly, her nudge back bringing a smile to his lips. He could feel something beyond Blue’s presence. It could just be that being near the white hole made his whole body hum uncomfortably from the sheer amount of energy so close by. But it could also be something else. He likened it to being near a continuous lightning strike. Instead of reaching out to her or in any other direction, he opened himself up. It was just like how he opened himself up to Keith, so Lance could find him and guide him in.

Unlike any of the other Lions he had felt before (with experience and exposure to Blue and Red, he could find moments in his memories that had to be the other three Lions), what he felt now was distinctly different. The others he could describe, with a certainty that he didn’t understand, as ‘terrestrial’. This here was absolutely and borderline terrifyingly celestial. It was other, it was more, it was overwhelming and all-encompassing in a way that briefly made Lance question ‘divinity’. 

Lance wasn’t sure what he was hoping for or trying to accomplish, but no new voice appeared in his head. All he felt was a desire that wasn’t his own, a need even, to go into the white hole and into Oriande within. It wasn’t exactly helpful because of everything that was in the way of that, but when he finally gave up on waiting and opened his eyes— Blue, how long has the white hole been, uh…

It looked like someone had cut a path between the Blue Lion and the center of the white hole. It was still just a blinding white mass, but the prong that stretched off into the abyss had split into two and the debris had been parted. Keith had been worried about Lance getting attacked when he left Oriande but maybe he should have been more concerned about what really wanted Lance to enter it instead.

Before he could spiral any deeper, Blue wound through his mind and softened his churning riptides of lung-freezing anxiety into a gentle, receding tide. He took a shaky breath. Then another. Blue waited for him to settle his racing heart before gently nudging him. We’re meant to be here. And without waiting for his input, Blue headed toward the center of the white hole.

What? What do you mean we’re meant to be here? Why hadn’t Blue started with that? She knew that Lance trusted her with his life. Why wouldn’t she have just… told him? He unfolded his legs but otherwise made no move to take the controls. 

I’ll let the Guardian explain. She responded enigmatically. Lance had no choice but to wait.

He almost didn’t notice the reflection inside his helmet from the markings on his cheeks glowing. Everything was so bright with the white hole ahead of them, but as they drew closer, his cheeks started to feel hot. He wondered if Allura’s cheeks had felt the same way, or any other Altean that had come before. Were his stolen marks functioning as they should? Would they grant him passage like those who had come before? And for that matter, did other Lion Touched have these marks?

Lance had those questions and many more swirling in his mind, but he pulled away from them as they left the Patrulian Zone behind and entered the white hole. He tensed, not knowing what to expect. He couldn’t see anything, it was just light in all directions, and yet Blue was still moving. Before he could reach for her mind, something else reached for his. This new presence was completely foreign to him and he shrunk back at first, both mentally and physically.

I will not harm you, Cub. Although Lance had never heard this voice before, it didn’t alarm him. There was a warmth and depth to it that reminded Lance so much of his Abuelito, even though his grandfather had passed when he was young. Come, there is much to talk about.

Lance opened his eyes, not remembering when he had closed them. The brightness around him had lessened to a degree and he could see a massive Lion’s head floating before him on the screens. Its color-shifting opalescent eyes met Lance’s blue for a moment before it opened its mouth wide. He remembered this mouth shooting some massive canon-like breath weapon at Voltron, but now it was inactive and waiting. His hands found the HOTAS without even looking and together he and Blue flew through the portal and into thick whiteness.

He didn’t know what to expect when they burst through the cloud cover. A planet, maybe. Not a collection of floating islands. They were a pinkish purple, with glowing blue Altean text on their undersides. Like fantastical icebergs, covered with pastel flora and scattered around a central mass that… well, the best description he could think of was a massive saucer-like ship, half-embedded in the same stone as the islands. What came first, he wondered.

Blue dove and swerved around the fledgling islands, and the writing twinkled and pulsed as they flew by. It was a glorious sight to see. Lance’s eyes were wide as he tried to take it all in. “I want to see everything," he breathed in awe. But he knew where he needed to head first.

The largest island called to him. The one with the twin peaked mountains that looked to be leaning toward each other. They circled the entire island once to get a lay of the land, and Lance spied the temple atop a plateau. Maybe spied wasn’t the right word. It was just a mass of white, glowing too brightly to have an identifiable shape and yet… Just like other things that Lance was unshakably certain about with no prior knowledge, he knew that the shape was a temple. The temple he needed to go to.

Blue landed at the outside edge of the island, which wasn’t exactly helpful. She settled down on her belly and opened her mouth so he could disembark without even a single word to him. Lance obeyed, although his brow was furrowed. Something didn’t feel quite right. He turned back to her as her mouth closed and he jerked back when he saw that her eyes were dark. Had she powered down? He tried to reach for her mind as he touched her nose but he hit a wall as solid as her body.

She cannot help you here, Cub. Lance whirled around. The massive lion’s head that had been their portal into Oriande was now much smaller and attached to the rest of a lion’s body. The Guardian observed him calmly with its multicolored eyes. It looked like a white lion with a massive, delicately floating, mane. It wasn’t solid, not like Blue at his back. At least, it didn’t look it. Lance could see the colors of the island through its body, reflecting around it to make it tinged blues and pinks. There are trials to face. You must prove yourself worthy, just as all Chosen Ones do.

The Guardian turned its massive head, its mane swaying with the movement. Its fur reacted as if it were solid and affected by the environment, like Lance could reach out and touch it. Like he could bury his fingers into the fur and ruffle it up. The Guardian looked to the cliff face of the plateau the temple was on. It towered over the forest they stood in. After a beat, the spectral lion faded away, leaving Lance truly alone for the first time since before his quest began.


The cliff face was steep but the edges all tapered into the top of the plateau, making him confident that as long as he took his time and plotted out his hand-holds he’d handle this fine. He did test the jets on his back and they worked well enough, for a handful of ticks. Something was definitely interfering with his tech, but he had enough of a boost that it should work as backup in case he started to fall. He looked up, and up, and up… and wished that he didn’t have to do this alone.

Lance allowed himself a brief pity party before buckling down and climbing. Half way up, he found a thick enough ledge that he stopped to catch his breath and—although he couldn’t turn to properly look around with the ledge so shallow—admired the view. He tapped the back of his helmet to the rockface and closed his eyes. “You probably didn’t even stop, did you, Allura? You and Keith always had too much damn stamina.” He huffed a little and chewed his bottom lip. Thinking about her hurt less since he reunited with Blue. Being out here in space with a purpose was a wonderful distraction, certainly. He knew, deep down, that it was more than that. He had run and hidden himself in the safety of familiarity and family. These last four months with Keith had been…

He exhaled sharply and opened his eyes. Time to keep going. He couldn’t let himself get lost in thought now. This was a trial, wasn’t it? Otherwise Blue would have been able to fly him up to the top of the plateau. He rolled his shoulders and slowly stretched each limb one at a time so he always had three points of contact before continuing his ascent. This time, though, he let himself talk. Instead of trying to force his mind blank (unsuccessfully), he talked to Allura periodically, as if she was climbing beside him now.

“I wish we’d talked more. About your time here, or anything, really.”

“You were just a scared teenager like us. But you always showed us a confident face. And the whole long-sleep thing… it made it easier to think you were an adult.”

“I could really do with some wisdom about now. Oriande-alum to a newbie. We might have completely different trials but…”

“I should have asked more questions about Altea. About your home. I know we talked when we were both feeling homesick, but you always had a way of getting me to share so much and closing off about your own home.”

“I just… I really miss you.”

Lance twisted as he pulled up over the ledge, flopping back and staring up at the pinky-purple sky. What he’d give to see some green, or yellow, or… red. He threw his arms over his helmet’s visor to hide his face and groaned. He owed Keith an apology. And maybe some groveling. And he had to do it as soon as he saw him and seek him out first thing because he didn’t want to talk to Red until they made up. She would no doubt make his life miserable otherwise.

A rumbling growl caught his attention and Lance rolled over onto his belly and pushed himself up slowly on already sore arms. The Guardian stood across the barren, rocky plateau, standing between him and the temple ahead. Lance stood and moved away from the cliff’s edge, looking at the pink and blue trees dotted with lakes and rivers below him. He turned to take in his goal and found the Guardian gone once more. The plateau wasn’t solidly flat on top. Far ahead, the temple sat on what could be best described as an island. This island wasn’t surrounded by water (although it did have a few waterfalls that tumbled off the edges) but what Lance had to call, at best, a canyon.

“Oh, look. No bridges.” Lance grumbled and headed toward the center. There was a scattering of floating rocks, just like the floating islands around him. Maybe some of them would be the right path to get to the center. And who knew, maybe they were even labeled, but he couldn’t read the Ancient Altean that was carved into their undersides. (His helmet’s translator probably wouldn’t even work anyway. He didn’t bother trying to engage it.)

As he neared them, he narrowed his eyes a little, running distance calculations in his head. He just needed to get up onto one of them. He had limited boost, but if he timed it right, he could probably get up onto lowest and make his way over. He took the proper time to limber up this time. His muscles already ached from all the climbing and now he’d need a running leap and all the strength in his arms and legs if he was going to make it. He had brought a filtering canteen with him, but he hadn’t brought food. He couldn’t exactly camp out up here, and he didn’t want to have to make the trip back without having seen this through.

Readied and positioned, Lance took a few deep breaths, poised to run with all his might. The small floating rocks were to his left, but there was an incline directly ahead of him. He counted down under his breath and sprinted forward. At the very last moment, he jumped as high as he could and boosted. He would take every millisecond his jetpack would give him as he twisted midair and grabbed for the closest rock.

The edge of the rock connected hard with his chest armor. The impact knocked the air out of him and Lance fought to force his panicking body to exhale and reset his spasming diaphragm. His fingers just managed to lock into a crack and let him dangle there as he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. His arms and shoulders burned and he knew if he hung here much longer, he wouldn’t be able to pull himself up. He couldn’t feel anything with his feet; there was no purchase to be had that way. 

He worked the curve of his chest armor up over the edge of the rock, grimacing as the point at the bottom dug sharply into his already tender diaphragm. Who designed this damn armor anyway? With a bit of wiggling, the point now pressed into the rock and his weight was held up by the armor snug against his ribs. He adjusted his grip and swung a leg up, trying to get just enough of a foothold. It was sweaty, grueling work but the suffering was worth it. 

Lance collapsed as soon as most of his body was on the rock and didn't bother rolling over this time. There wasn't much room, his feet and arms dangled off opposite ends. His fingers burned where they weren't numb and his arms and shoulders screamed in pain. How was he going to keep going? How much more challenging were these trials going to be?

He only allowed himself a few more minutes before he climbed to his feet. He swayed the tiniest bit, but grit his teeth in determination. Others had come before him and handled this somehow. They had been tested just like he was, and he wasn’t going to give up. He carefully backed up to the edge and did his best sprinter’s starting crouch. He’d manage maybe two steps with the size of the rock but hopefully it would give him the edge he’d need.

Pushing off, he launched himself toward the higher rock and this time landed on his feet thanks to the small boost the jetpack was able to give. He didn’t slow, his eyes flicking quickly to his options and deciding quickly. He couldn’t stop, couldn’t risk losing momentum as the rocks got further apart and he was no longer above the plateau but the canyon that encircled the temple island. He wouldn’t be able to survive a fall. Falling couldn’t be an option.

He could do this.

Even when the rock he landed on moved, bobbing under his weight or tilting, he had to use its movement to his advantage as quickly as it happened. He didn’t get this far just to fail. 

He could do this.

He had come so far and had so many questions. He wanted, needed, answers and he would be getting them. He wasn’t going to let some overgrown rock path stop him now. 

He could do this.

The final jump onto the central plateau was the furthest jump and the rock had dipped and twisted under his sudden weight. In a panic, Lance kicked on the jetpack to make sure he made it across the last bit of the chasm. Crashing and rolling across the rocky ground, his right arm twisted and caught under him on the rough terrain. A pained shout escaped gritted teeth as he arched slightly to unpin his arm but the weight of his torso against his shoulders made the pain near-blinding in its intensity. Each sharp, panicky breath made the pain skyrocket. He had to move. He couldn’t stay like this. Carefully, he rolled over to stop stressing his shoulder any more than he had. Sitting back, he raised his trembling left hand to his right shoulder to carefully feel the joint.

He’d never dislocated his shoulder before, but it wasn’t hard to figure it out now. He could feel the bone out of socket, and beyond the excruciating pain if he tried to move it, he could feel an unpleasant grinding through his entire torso. His lower arm and hand were starting to tingle and he knew if he didn’t move soon that the swelling was going to make this even harder to do. Thankfully, emergency medical training had been drilled frequently enough that Lance knew the basic procedure… Even though he wouldn’t be able to seek official medical attention for who knew how long.

He unlatched his chest piece first with some difficulty, and the right arm pieces after. The lessened weight on his right side made him feel lopsided but it was a relief to his shoulder already. He was able to properly grip his wrist now. With a shaky exhale, he closed his eyes and grit his teeth. Arms out front. Pain sucked the air from his lungs. Arms level with shoulders. He could feel his rabbiting pulse in his shoulder like someone stabbed it with each beat. Breathe. Pain. Breathe in. Out. In. He pulled. He screamed.

Swearing in both Spanish and English wasn’t enough to express himself. “Is this why you never talked about Oriande, ‘Lura?” He croaked, his throat raw. She hadn’t looked hurt after they’d returned, but Lance had been hazy and high from the lack of oxygen for a while. It was entirely possible that she’d gone into a healing pod afterwards. Or maybe there was some secrecy to it all. What happened in Oriande, stayed in Oriande. Something like that.

Slowly, Lance lowered his right arm without letting go of his wrist to aid in a smooth motion. The smoothest he could make it when his entire body had started to shake. He didn’t have any fabric to make a sling. Even if putting the chest armor back on wouldn’t be damn near impossible with one hand, he didn’t think hooking his fingers into the neckline would keep his arm in a low-stress position for his shoulder. The best he could do would be gripping his under armor, and flexing his hand would hurt, too. He had first aid back on the Blue Lion, but he couldn’t get down to her now.

Couldn’t go back. Had to move forward.

Lance curled his fingers into his under armor and gathered his pieces of armor. It hurt. Every step jarred his shoulder. But he couldn’t stop now.

Chapter 21: Trials

Summary:

What would the temple hold?

Notes:

There will be no chapter next week, sorry! (And the update might be a little later than the weekend if I can't post it Thursday/Friday)

Chapter Text

Waiting for him in front of the temple was the Guardian. Its (his…?) golden eyes flicked over Lance’s form, from the cracked visor of his helmet to the dirty under armor and scuffed plate. Lance set down his armor pieces, leaving only his left arm and legs covered. He worked his damaged helmet off one-handed and set it with the pile by the door. The Guardian still didn’t look away from him.

“Is… is, uh, that okay?” Lance asked hesitantly, his voice hoarse. No response. Just more silent staring. Slowly, he unclipped his canteen and sipped to ease his dry and irritated throat. He hooked it toward the back of his belt when done and moved his bayard to his left side. Now that he was down his dominant arm, he needed to make sure his bayard was accessible. What he’d give to be ambidextrous. Keith had been pushing him to work with his off-hand more often while training which was good, but he was still clumsy and slow and it just felt wrong.

The Guardian turned away from him swiftly and walked toward the temple. It paused only once to look back at Lance before continuing up the stairs to a raised walkway. Lance hurried to follow, biting his lip when the quick steps jostled his shoulder.

The temple… Lance had difficulty finding words to describe it. It had looked painfully white, glowing almost, at a distance. Now that he was close, he could see that the light had been primarily reflection off of shining, glossy white stone. The outside looked perfect, untouched from time, but as he passed through the dim doorway and his eyes adjusted to the darker interior, he could see that the age showed inside. The stone was no longer white but a soft, golden beige. He looked around the doorway, seeing lines of erosion worn into the edges, the sharp corners of the outside were rounded and gentle within. How peculiar that it was the outside that remained pristine and not the inside.

Lance turned a slow circle, admiring the worn carvings on the walls all around him. He didn’t understand a lick of it but he could appreciate the time and effort it took to create it. Around the carved words and illustrations were what had once been neat lines and geometric patterns that he was familiar with from the former Castle of Lions. He paused and reached under the neckline of his under armor and drew the Castle Diamond out. It still glowed, just like the accents in the walls here. If anything, he might be able to use it to see better, if the rest of the temple was just as dim.

He ran careful fingers over the Diamond as he walked deeper into the temple, the rough edges catching slightly on his glove. It was almost calming to have something to fiddle with while he wandered and took everything in. The ceilings were so high that they just faded to black. Any manner of things could be hanging above him and he wouldn’t know until he was ambushed. He curled in a little on himself (albeit lopsidedly as his right shoulder was too painful to move). He wished he wasn’t alone. He wished Keith was there. 

He reached out to touch a carving of some kind of star map with some blobs that looked like weird planets when he heard a chuff from his right. The Guardian was sitting and staring at him again, lashing its tail. “Okay, okay. I get it.” He had hoped that he would have a chance to rest… and snoop. Could you blame him for his curiosity? What were the odds that he’d ever be able to come there again? It wasn’t like he’d be able to take his time when he really needed medical attention and a healing pod. He hadn’t brought his communicator, either, so he couldn’t take pictures. Past Lance had been a little preoccupied.

He followed the Guardian, who illuminated the area directly around him with soft white light. The Castle Diamond didn’t put off the same amount of light, mostly washing Lance in soft blues. His eyes darted around to memorize what he could as the path branched and turned. He couldn’t help but feel like they were going downward, too, just the tiniest bit. There was no clear indication of it, but the pathway felt increasingly colder. The hallway eventually narrowed to the size of the doorway before him and Lance ducked a little as he stepped through.

He felt dwarfed suddenly by the high ceiling and massive, seated statues in the next room. Low sub-floor lighting around the edges of the room cast haunting shadows over them. He stepped forward slowly, taking them all in. They were all carved of the same white stone and were identical, from their faces to their positions to the spears in their right hands. There were plaques at their feet but without the translators in his helmet he could only guess that it might be ancient Altean. The shapes looked overall similar enough. He approached the first one and reached out, his fingers brushing over three grooves worn there. His fingertips fit well. Others before him, they must have touched this plaque as they passed.

Lance stepped back to look up at the statue. Their eyes were pupil-less, like all the others. It made Lance shift uncomfortably. He felt watched. Judged. It was far from the first time that he felt Othered, but it was never a pleasant feeling. What he’d give to have someone there to watch his back. He turned slowly, his eyes flicking between other faces with empty eyes. Were the faces all tilted toward him, staring him down?

His next exhale shook and he slowly headed toward the only other doorway in the room. It sat, unassuming, at the other end of this great room and beyond all the statues. It had to be the exit, and he wanted out as soon as possible. It was the most direct path to cross between the statues, but also the most intimidating. The room swallowed all sound, his footsteps muffled oddly in a way that made Lance rub at his ear. He picked up his pace as much as he dared.

Halfway through the chamber, the hair on the back of his neck raised and the crack of stone echoed throughout the chamber. He twisted to face his attackers as he flung his left arm up to protect his head. The sharp movement had his shoulder screaming in pain and Lance’s grip on his bayard—which had materialized in his grip—almost faltered. His Lion shield sparked as multiple stone spear-tips slammed down on him. Four statues had attacked him and four more stood in a second ring around them. The last two guarded the door, their spears crossed. How had they moved so quickly?

He dropped to a knee, his whole body shaking from effort and pain. “Stop!” He cried, his voice cracking with desperation. The Lion’s head on his shield snarled at the spear points. Lance’s fingers were pins and needles from the vice-like hold he had on the shield’s grip. “Please! I mean no harm.” He choked out, his eyes screwed shut and burning. He haltingly sunk closer to the floor as the pressure increased. A searing flash cut through his eyelids. Lance blinked as the pressure disappeared.

The Castle Diamond glowed brighter than before, floating and tethered above his chest. The shield reflected its light and was larger, too. A full dome protected him instead of the tower shield it had once been. He didn’t dare move first and eventually the statues pulled back the spears but still stood circled around him. He stood slowly and the shield remained a dome around him. He backed out to the doorway and still the statues didn’t move. Had he just passed a trial? He had no idea.

The shield fell away. Mercifully, the tiredness that came with using the shield had lessened as he used it but now he didn’t feel anything at all. The Diamond dropped back to his chest with a small thud, its glow back to how it had been. He put his bayard away while staring down at it suspiciously and stepped further into the doorway. He used his now-free hand to brace himself on the nearest wall. 

This hall led to stairs but no impatient lion was going to be able to hurry Lance along. He trembled like a new leaf, and wished that he could sit down for a while. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get back up…” he mumbled to himself to dissuade that decision. Even leaning against the wall briefly on his left side twisted his torso enough to make his already throbbing shoulder worse. He pressed his forehead to the cool stones and just let himself breathe. He had to do this. He had to. He couldn’t forget that. There was knowledge here, knowledge he needed to save everyone.

Each stair hurt. His hands ached from how he’d gripped the bayard, from how he still gripped the under armor to keep from stressing his shoulder too much. He carefully gripped his right forearm and tried to relax his hand. He didn’t know what would happen next and he needed to be able to support his shoulder as best he could. For the moment, he held his arm and slowly made his way down the stairs.

The base of the stairs opened up to a circular room and in the center was a rudimentary teludav, similar to ones he’d watched Allura use nearly a thousand times. It was the only thing in the entire room. Was he supposed to be able to use it? Alteans would certainly know how, and all the statues up above had had the markings. Yet another disadvantage. 

A growl snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up from the floor to the Guardian. It stood in front of the teludav, staring him down. It took a single step toward him before fading away. He tried to reach out for its presence but it was nowhere to be found, just like at the edge of the forest. He had to prove himself worthy. And what if he failed? Where would Oriande be if he failed? But the planet wasn’t exactly sentient, was it.

Lance wasn’t more than two steps into the room when the door started to close behind him. He spun toward it but it slammed down all the faster. He took a few steps backwards, his eyes wide with fear as the room sealed shut. His pulse hammered in his ears, his throat, his shoulder, his chest. He whipped his head around, trying to find any other exit. Nothing. He flinched as something tapped his head and whizzed past his face. A pebble…? He looked up to see the intricately carved ceiling start to move.

Down.

Toward him.

He bolted for the teludav. There had to be something here. He used his left hand to position his right on the right handpad, biting his lip to stop himself from crying out as his shoulder sent sharp, lancing pains through his neck and torso. Something wasn’t right but he couldn’t tell if he’d done something wrong or if the swollen, stiffened muscles were just not cooperating through the damage. He placed his other hand on the remaining pad and tried… everything.

He tried reaching for the handpad like he reached for Blue, for Red. He tried reaching for the frayed ends of his Paladin bonds. He tried reaching for that little hint of Allura that he always felt within. When none of it worked, he frantically raced through his mindspace to find something as the ceiling continued to grind lower. His knees felt watery and he dug his fingers into the handpads and tried to lower himself as smoothly as possible to the ground. He leaned against the left spindle to ease the angle on his damaged shoulder but the pain burned through his whole body like he’d dislocated it again. His stomach roiled and he bit his lip hard enough to taste blood, trying to refocus his mind as the ceiling continued to drop.

His breaths were shallow and sharp through his nose. It was hard not to choke on the lump in his throat and tears burned their way from his eyes and down his cheeks. The saltiness stung the tiny cuts he had hardly noticed. How much more could he give before he was just a shell? His vision greyed at the edges, his hands and feet completely numb. He didn’t even know if they were still gripping the handpads. 

He was going to die here. He hadn’t said a proper goodbye to anyone. Not one where he knew that he might not talk to them again. Keith still thought Lance had gotten pissed at him and left. And this time, it’d be for good, wouldn’t it?

He’d failed and he had tried so hard. He never wanted to be a hero like this. Once he’d had the Paladins, his friends, his very own family… He hadn’t wanted to ever be without them. Did he not do enough? Should he have gathered them all sooner? But what good would it have done, he had to come here alone… they were waiting for him. They were waiting for him to come back to them. Now… he never would.

A sob cut through him and the lack of echo belied how low the ceiling had gotten. He didn’t care. This was it, and he was alone. He always ended up alone, didn’t he? Even when he was surrounded by people, he was alone. Lance hung his head, licking blood from his lip reflexively. He must have broken the skin. He trembled and hiccupped a sob. He was done. He just wanted this to be over. Done.

The cool touch of the ceiling against the backs of his hands made him flinch and he screamed with all his might, all his fear and anger and grief.

“I never asked for this!”

Chapter 22: Knowledge

Summary:

Did he... pass?

Notes:

I'm so sorry this took longer than anticipated to edit! Real life got in the way.

Chapter Text

Blinding white light.

A sense of… floating.

Lance opened his eyes as his feet touched down. He squinted at first, but his eyes adjusted and he was able to turn slowly in a circle. All around him was pinkish white, and the ground was the faintest blue. There was a thin layer of water covering the ground, just enough to make the softest splashing sounds. As far as he could tell, he was alone in this pastel void.

This couldn’t be death, because his shoulder didn’t feel any better than when he was crouched on the floor and screaming. His throat burned as if raw from it. He wiped at his face with his good hand, the tears there grouping into little spheres instead of smearing across his skin. He tipped his hand and they fell slowly to join the rest of the water at his feet. Had the waterfalls outside the Temple behaved like this? He couldn’t remember. He was disoriented from… everything.

A crackling snarl from behind him made Lance jerk and turn toward the noise, his right foot slicing through the water and creating a wave that hung in the air. Little plips sounded around him as the spray fell back into the water after a moment but Lance paid it no mind. The Guardian was back, and it was furious with him.

Their eyes met and it charged him, mouth open and fangs on clear display. 

Lance yelped and stumbled out of the way, his left hand gripping his right forearm tight across his stomach to keep his shoulder immobile. Water splashed up as he dodged, soaking in where it landed on his under armor. The Guardian ran past, its claws slicing through the water as it slid into a turn to rush him again. Lance twisted, barely evading a second time, the rush of air as the lion passed ruffling his hair. It was nearly as tall as him and, if it was truly solid, had to be nearly three times his weight.

“You brought me here!” He grit through frustrated teeth. He couldn’t keep this up, he was nearly tripping over his own feet every time. The Guardian had to know this; it was toying with him. “You chose me, and I-I came even when no one wanted me to!” What was he doing, trying to talk to it? He snapped his mouth shut and strengthened his stance. This time, he wasn’t going to move.

He brought up his good arm as the Guardian collided with him. The sharp teeth ground into the armor covering his forearm and he was pushed back several feet, water spraying around them. He snarled into the massive growling face of the Guardian and reached out for its mind with all the strength that he had. The wall he hit was like the white hole itself: blinding, powerful energy that pushed everything away.

Lance met the opalescent eyes and felt the markings on his cheeks flare with heat. “I’m not here for Alchemy. I’m not here to know everything. I’m here to save and protect my Pride.” He hadn’t even thought of the words, they just came out with a fierce growl in his chest. He couldn’t reach any of them right then. He could only dream what it would feel like when he connected to them all but in that moment he was both burstingly full and desolately empty.

The Guardian’s eyes glittered for a fraction of a second and in them Lance could swear he saw Blue’s, Red’s, and all the other Lions’ gazes looking back at him. A foreign familiarity clicked inside him just before the lion tossed him by his arm. He held his injured arm painfully close to his stomach while simultaneously flinging out the other to help him balance as he twisted and got his feet under him. He slid in the water, the rough ground under it ripping through his glove and biting into his fingers. He righted himself and dropped to his knees just as the Guardian charged and pounced at him.

Our Pride. Lance flung out his left arm as if welcoming the Guardian, no, the White Lion, into an embrace. It glowed so brightly as it drew close that he reflexively closed his eyes. Instead of crashing pain, a warmth and lightness filled him completely, his aches fading immediately. He snapped his eyes open and almost panicked when he was floating in a starry scape, especially since he was sans helmet.

The light of the stars was all that pierced the darkness, but as he floated there, sourceless beams of light filtered in around him, all centering on his heart. They came from all angles, every color of the visible light spectrum. The colors of Voltron, and more. “Where… am I?” His voice echoed around him and even to his own ears he sounded exhausted.

You have been brought to the realm of the Altean ancestors, and the Life Givers who came before them.

It was a woman’s voice. Or several women. Every time he tried to pick it apart in his mind, it twisted out of his grasp. One of the voices though… It sounded like Allura. There was just a warmth there that made his heart ache. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing shallowly as if anything more could shatter him. “Thank you.” He croaked. He had made it, it seemed. “I… I seek the knowledge t-to…” He didn’t know how to say it.

Lance.

Lance almost choked. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to think about how that had been the one voice that sounded so much like Allura. He missed her so much and it wasn’t fair that he was hearing her voice now—even if it was just his mind playing with him. She had been part of the family that he had made all on his own. It had been years, but it still… It still hurt. “I can’t lose any more family. I need to know more. My Pride, Voltron, the Lion Touched… all of it. Whatever I need to know so I can to protect everyone—” So no one would have to feel like he had.

Rise, Lion Touched. We shall grant you this desire. Our gift to you to save our Lions, to protect the future. The words had become the myriad of voices again, but this time, he was certain he didn’t hear Allura in the mix. He didn’t know if he was grateful or heartbroken all over again.

He felt himself float higher up and the lights pointing at his heart converged into one beautiful rainbow beam that brightened until he couldn’t look anymore. (It was headache inducing. How many times would he be blinded today in some form? He just wanted to curl up somewhere nice and dark and sleep for hours.) 

He knew that he had left that nebulous space before he even opened his eyes. In fact, he even kept them closed longer out of spite. Especially since every pain in his body had filtered back in and he nearly staggered from it. His feet found ground becoming solid underneath them. Only when something solid and warm bumped his chest did he open his eyes. 

The White Lion rubbed its massive forehead against his chest, rumbling contentedly. You did well, Cub. That voice, like his Abuelito. He had wondered if that was the voice of the White Lion, but he hadn’t wanted to make assumptions. I am sorry to have been so rough on you.

“I’m sorrier.” He might have sounded grouchy, but that didn’t stop him from reaching up to scratch affectionately behind an ear. The fur was softer than anything he’d ever felt and with it came a comforting energy. It enveloped him as he sagged against the massive lion’s head. In response, Lance deepened the scratching to a massage. It was the least he could do when the White Lion was holding his weight with just his head.

I am no healer, but I can bring you to Blue. She will bring you home. Home was good but… Lance looked back at the temple. The doorway he’d first passed through was closed and his armor was resting in a pile not too far away.

“I wanted to learn more.” He whispered forlornly. “I wanted to take my time, read the carvings.” Because now he was confident that he could. He had a pressure in his head that wasn’t painful. He just felt… full. He curled his fingers into White’s mane and straightened himself up even though it made his body throb. “I feel like I’m not done here.” There was something missing.

But Lance didn’t argue when White nudged him along until Lance had gathered his things and mounted his strong back. White loped through the air like it was no effort at all, like there was solid ground under each massive paw. “Blue said you’d explain…?”

Have you not the answers you once sought?

Lance bit his bottom lip and mentally prodded at the fullness of his own mind. He knew the knowledge was there, held back so as not to overwhelm his mind with everything there. And knowing that was part of the knowledge he was gifted, too. It was all so confusing and he was certain that had he been aware of more, it would have been worse. “Yes…? No. I was here before. Not… Not Oriande but in the white hole. Why didn’t you say anything to me then?”

I reached for you then, Lance. I knew you the moment I felt your presence. You were not yet ready to hear my voice or accept my influences. You had bonded with Blue, you had heard Red, but you had not heard the other three. They touched down in the grass and White continued to walk them toward where Lance had left Blue behind. I must admit, I was also distracted.

“Oh.” Lance sagged a little. “With the fighting?” Although White clearly had a shifting gait as he walked, his movement was so smooth and graceful that he didn’t jostle Lance at all. Lance was grateful for it as it kept his pain manageable. Certainly more so than if he had been walking next to him.

No. As you might have guessed, I had not seen my Pride in over ten kilopheobs. I could not allow your Paladins into Oriande and, while in Voltron’s formation, they are one and a different mind altogether. I could see them but could not reach them…

Lance was silent as they traveled through the forest that surrounded the plateau. The breaks in the trees revealed lakes. It had been a long time since Lance had been able to enjoy a body of water. He idly wondered if it would be safe to swim here, not that he could with his current injuries. Maybe once he was back on New Altea…

“The last trial…” Lance began, not sure if he should ask or not. White rumbled underneath him in a way that Lance interpreted as ‘go on’. “Our Pride. There’s more than just the five Lions that I know.”

You are correct. In the beginning, there were many of us. The whole story is a very long one to tell. Lance waited, expecting more, but White just kept walking.

"Can you reach Blue now?" He asked. Lance couldn't feel her yet and wondered at what range would. After being so connected for so long, it felt wrong to be without her. 

No. For I to reach her again, I will need a bond with you.

"Why?" Lance asked, curious as to why White couldn't connect with her. 

White stopped in a clearing and turned his head toward Lance even though their eyes couldn't meet. It will be easier to explain when we join. He didn't move, as if waiting for Lance to make the next move. 

Carefully, Lance climbed off of White's back to stand on his own. He supported his right arm again. His shoulder was much stiffer now, tight and painful when it was moved even the slightest bit. He waited, not sure what to do. It was different with Blue and Red. They were just... there. They pressed against his mind like a cat winding through ankles. 

White turned to face him fully, their eyes nearly level with each other. Lance waited for a cue and after a long moment of just watching the colors shift in White's eyes, White tipped his massive head toward Lance's. Just like he had known to come here, Lance knew to tip his head down and press his forehead to White's. This time, he wasn't the one who sought out the mind. White came to him, enveloping Lance in a way that brought forth the memory of lazing in the sun on his Abuelito's veranda, warm and content. 

Their connection was slow and syrupy and Lance sank into it. White was the Lion of light, like Blue was water and Red, fire. (As if he couldn’t tell after everything he’d gone through in the temple, he thought in a voice that was a little too like Keith’s.) White fit perfectly into his mind space, adding a beautiful sunny day to the gorgeous, blue sea. Lance knew when he was connected to them all, they would fill in this beautiful safe space for him and his fellow Paladins.

There was a practiced ease to bonding with the White Lion that Lance never would have expected. It felt normal, like being connected like that was just how they were meant to be. They were solidly joined with little effort at all and it floored him. He barely thought a full question before White answered him, knowledge flowing freely between them. The Life Givers may have given him knowledge on Altean Alchemy and the purpose of the Lion Touched, but White gave him history on how the Lions came to be, long before they became Voltron.

"If you're really that massive guardian… how are you here?" Lance reached out with his left hand to scrub his fingers through the lion's mane. It was one of the questions that he didn't have the answer to from the knowledge that had been shared with him. 

One of my abilities is the form you see before you. It is a hard light projection. I am able to split my consciousness so that I may guard Oriande and be here in this moment with you.

It was fascinating. "Can Blue…?" White pulled his mind into a memory. In the forefront were the lions Lance knew, others hazy and out of focus behind them. They all had hard light forms, all matching the color designations they had. "Why has she never taken this form around me?" How less lonely would he have been with Blue to touch and talk to?

Their connection to me broke before they took on the new bodies that Alfor provided. As they lost their centers, they lost purpose and what had kept them alive was fading. Lance was shown more images, other planets that were knowledge centers like Oriande, spread out across the universe. Of course it made sense that there was more than just the one. The Voltron Lions had been spread far but in their original forms they were able to mentally connect with each other no matter the distance. 

"The mechanical bodies that saved them severed them from you." Lance whispered, his chest aching in sympathy. White nodded. "And now? Now that we're bonded, and I'm bonded to Blue? Does that help her regain her strength?"

White didn't respond, he just took a step back. There was something in his gaze that he wasn't letting Lance translate. He was about to ask the Lion more questions when he heard something behind him. He turned and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. At the edge of the clearing stood a lioness with golden eyes ringed with the brightest blue Lance had ever seen. Her body was semi-transparent like White's, albeit tinted blue. Lance grinned and he could see her echo it in her eyes as she started to lope toward him.

"Blue!"

Chapter 23: Return

Summary:

Lance returns to New Altea and (most) of the Paladins

Chapter Text

Their bond flooded him and despite how his body rebelled, Lance limped toward her. She pulled back as she got close, trotting around him in circles to inspect all his injuries. Lance reached out and, when his hand touched warm fur he just… He could feel his face crumple and tears sprung up unbidden. Blue sat and let Lance pull her into a hug, raising a large paw to grab at his waist. It was so warm and soothing and Lance never wanted to let go.

Blue purred loudly, the force of it rumbling through his chest. (A brief memory skittered across his mind and he shared it with her, a long-ago heated discussion on if the Voltron Lions could purr since Earth Lions couldn’t. Pidge had been adamant but Keith’s argument was that they were magical space robot lions and because of that, Earth’s big cat biology didn’t apply.) He felt her amusement even as she nuzzled at the side of his face. 

Lance sniffed and turned to look to White, who had come over while they’d had their moment. “How is this going to work? When we leave… it’s not like you can come along. If we get too far away?”

I am stronger than the other members of our Pride. I am still connected to my center. White stated simply. I was able to reach you and bring you here, although I could not convey complex thoughts. You may not be able to reach me yet, Cub, but Blue and the others will when they are bonded with you. The more you reunite us, the stronger we will become.

Lance nodded slowly and, when words failed him, pushed at White with what he wanted to say. He knew how bad loneliness could get and after reuniting White with one of his Pride (or, technically two, but Lance didn’t count himself because this was the first time they were truly meeting) he didn’t want to take it away from him and leave him alone once more. White nudged the side of Lance’s face with his nose and chuffed happily. His gratitude washed over Lance.

Thanks to you, I will never be alone again. Our Pride is richer for having you. Lance bit his lip as tears welled up again. How many families could one guy collect? Here he was with three and loving each of them with every bit of his entire, too-big heart. Come, it is time you returned. You are hurt and need attention you cannot get here.

Everything he’d learned and seeing Blue like this had been plenty distracting, but it was starting to hurt more to use his left hand and his right wasn’t exactly an option either. How the hell were they going to manage this? He blinked and he must have just been standing there and staring off because Blue was staring at him expectantly, his armor carefully held in her mouth from where it had spilled when White had moved. Lance climbed back up onto White’s back, exhaustion hitting him hard when he half-laid in the voluminous mane and buried his (better) hand in the strands to keep from falling off. 

“I don’t know how much time has passed outside… Or how soon I could get a wormhole to our position…” Lance was talking to himself as much as he was to Blue and White. “Before with… with Allura and Lotor it had only been hours but that was before the multi-verse was…”

Not everything went back to how it was before, Little One. Time flows were altered in places to restore things that had been long-lost. Blue walked close to Lance’s side like she needed to keep an eye on him.

It was a flowery way to say that neither of them knew. Lance let his questions drop. He had many more, but he was also exhausted from his ordeal. He was adrenalin-crashing hard now that the threat was over. Lance would honestly be surprised if he didn’t fall asleep the moment he felt safe. He just needed to make sure someone told Hunk that he’d gotten back safely. He didn’t want to make him worry.

He might have even drifted off while on White’s back, because the lions had stopped in front of Blue’s curled up mechanical form. He climbed off of White carefully and smiled when the massive Lion gently bumped and rubbed his head against Lance’s chest. He rubbed at White’s ear and scratched his chin in thanks, smiling softly as he ducked his head a little to bump foreheads. White sat and watched Lance and Blue move toward the powered-down Voltron Lion.

Be safe, Cub. If you need me, I have no doubt that you will find the strength inside you to summon me for aid. He didn’t wait for Lance to respond before fading from sight.

The Blue Lion shifted and opened her mouth for Lance and Blue to walk up and into the cockpit. “Is this weird for you? To be in and out of your body all at once?”

This metal body is simply a vessel. I do not find this odd. I am glad I can finally take this form again, for I am more easily able to help you.

Lance hummed and headed to storage to find something to construct a sling to keep his arm immobile. The pain had skyrocketed now that the adrenalin was gone and he was worried about making things worse. He found a large enough square of fabric and returned to the cockpit. With Blue’s help holding a corner in place as he wrapped and tucked, he was able to loop the fabric around his left shoulder and middle to tie the knot at his left side and keep the arm pinned snugly against his body. It was almost an immediate lessening of his pain. 

“Will you be able to fly us on your own?” He asked as he gingerly lowered himself into the pilot’s seat. He sagged once settled, groaning softly. 

Yes, Blue placed a paw on the arm rest to push up and nuzzle at Lance’s cheek. I can bring us home. White will open a wormhole to New Altea, we will be back in no time at all. Are you alright if I…? It made sense that she couldn’t move two forms at once. Lance nodded and after one more fond forehead rub, she faded from next to him and the Blue Lion awoke.

The HUD lit up and cast everything in the familiar, beautiful, blue glow. As tired as he was, he still felt a shiver of excitement. He’d never get over this feeling—the anticipation before flight and the Blue Lion waking under his fingers. He reached out with his left to trail his injured fingers lightly over the cool metal. He tipped his head back against the seat and no sooner than he connected with the seat did he slip into Blue’s mind. It muted his pain and he felt it as each component did a test movement, a ripple through Blue’s entire body from nose to tail.

Together, they rumbled happily to be reunited like this. Blue crouched and leapt into the air as smoothly as she could. They ran through the sky, unlike how the Blue Lion had moved before. The bond to White through Lance had already improved Blue’s strength and abilities. He couldn’t wait to see what happened as the bonds continued to grow and strengthen.

Blue burst through the cloud layer and out into the bright center of the white hole. White’s massive head was waiting for them and, Lance dared to say, he was smiling. 

I will miss you, Cub. At this scale, even with White speaking quietly, his words were loud in Lance’s head. Next time, I will personally show you around Oriande. Lance perked up at the thought of getting to come back one day. Maybe he could finally take his time looking at all the carvings in the temple. As long as he didn’t have to do the trials again.

The White Lion opened his mouth and roared. Instead of the beam weapon that he had attacked Voltron with years ago, there was an invisible pulsing wave that made all of Lance’s hair stand on end. The electric crackle of it on his spine made him sit up straighter, his eyes going to where the wave went—outside of the white hole. As soon as the wave stopped, they left the brightness of the white hole behind.

The blackness of space was a shock to Lance’s eyes and it took him a moment to adjust and realize what they were facing. The White Lion had created a wormhole. It wasn’t as big as the ones he was used to the castle ship making back in the day, but it was plenty big for them to fly through. Instead of the frame inscribed with Altean markings, it was a likeness of the White Lion’s head, mouth stretched wide and the wormhole inside his mouth.

Blue wasted no time taking them through. Unlike the feeling with Altean-made wormholes, going through this one could only be described as feeling as if his cells were statically charged. The crackling of electricity in his ears cleared with a jaw-popping yawn. The wormhole collapsed on itself with a whooshing force that Lance swore he felt from inside the Blue Lion. He was hailed almost immediately, asking to identify himself. He didn’t blame them, really. It hadn’t exactly been a scheduled wormhole, he got it. With permission to land, Lance closed the connection and hesitated on calling Hunk.

He’d promised, so he’d do it, but what if Keith was there? What if Keith wasn’t ready to forgive him yet? His stomach churned and he bit his bottom lip. He punched in Hunk’s code slowly and sat back. Blue even waited, in case he needed time before landing on New Altea. His pulse sped up the longer he waited for an answer, wondering if now was a bad time—

“Lance!” Hunk’s grinning face nearly covered the entire screen. Lance recognized the sounds of welding torches in the background. The forehead band was not Hunk’s usual, but one attached to a welding mask. “One sec…” He leaned back and lowered the mask to protect his eyes so he could turn back to the people behind him. “Hey! Guys! It’s Lance! Lance is back!” The welding sounds cut off and Lance heard Pidge call his name.

Hunk shifted the angle of the communicator so he could see Pidge rigged up in protective leathers and suspension gear so they could weld the plating that was held up by a ponytailed someone also in protective leathers. Lance’s heart skipped painfully in his chest. Keith. Pidge turned off the torch and waved it. They shoved up their mask now that the harmful light was gone. They swiped their forearm across their sweaty forehead, sticking their bangs to their skin. “Lance? You look like shit.”

Lance sighed and sat up a little straighter and didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. “Kinda feel like it, too.” He flapped his left hand as if he could wave their worries away. “I’ll be fine after a jaunt in a healing pod—”

“You need a healing pod?!” Keith let go of the thick sheet of metal he was holding for Pidge to weld to Red’s side and ripped his mask off as he stalked toward the communicator. Lance winced at both his tone and in sympathy as he saw the band get caught in his ponytail and yank the tie out. That must not have been comfortable.

“U-uh…” Lance lowered his hand out of sight, knowing that the ripped and bloodied tips were harmful evidence. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a very obvious sling revealing the worst of it anyway. “Yes…” He drew it out slowly, as Keith’s face took up nearly the whole screen, his narrowed Galran pupils eating up the details as best they could through the call. “The Trials were rougher than anticipated, but I made it out fine—”

“How the hell is that fine?” Keith snapped but Lance knew him too well by now and knew the furrow between his eyebrows was all worry. “Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”

Lance reached out for the HOTAS and wrapped his stiff fingers carefully around it to nudge the Blue Lion forward. He used it as an excuse to avoid Keith’s gaze even though he could feel the force of his stare against the side of his face. “New Altea’s upper atmo, currently. The White Lion created a wormhole for me. I’m coming in now, I’ll meet you in the Garden of Lions.” Blue cut the connection off for him and he relaxed. He had no idea how this conversation with Keith was going to go but he knew they needed to have it.

The trip to the Garden took mere minutes, but it simultaneously felt much longer and shorter than that at the same time. The Blue Lion crouched on her designated dias and settled down, opening her mouth and powering down. Blue appeared next to him in an instant. Lance wrapped his good arm around her neck and moved carefully as she helped pull him up. He hadn’t been sitting for that long, but his body had taken every opportunity to stiffen up.

He braced the side of his left hand between her shoulders as she walked beside him down the ramp. He limped a little, the hip he landed on when he dislocated his shoulder had seized up, complaining about taking his weight and movement in general. The steps at the base of the dias were the worst, every one of them reminding him where all his pains were.

Blue leaned her head against his side a little, so she didn’t upset his balance. She lifted her head from his torso, ears pricked forward. Lance glanced across the courtyard to follow her gaze. Half a second later, Keith burst through the double doors. Kosmo kept pace beside him, Pidge and Hunk bringing up the rear. The relief at seeing them all was like a punch to the gut, leaving him breathless. He stopped and let them come to him.

Keith stopped first, staring with his mouth open at Blue. Kosmo’s ears couldn’t decide if they wanted to perk with interest or lay back in threat. His nose twitched constantly like he was trying to smell her despite the distance between them. The other two Paladins stopped even with Keith and Kosmo, also staring.

“Guys, meet Blue. Or, the hard light projection version of her.” 

Keith tore his gaze away from Blue and hurried over to him, his eyes taking in every detail. Lance knew Keith was cataloging every change since they’d last seen each other. The way his gaze lingered on the sling, his missing pieces of armor, and no doubt the various small cuts or bruises on his face. 

“Lance, man, I have so many questions.” Hunk began when it looked like no one was going to speak. “But I think Keith just might vibrate out of his skin if we don’t get you to the infirmary first.”

Lance couldn’t help himself. He laughed. He also regretted it nearly instantly, his poor abused diaphragm not pleased at all. He winced and took a slow breath, his eyes closed. When he opened them, Keith was close and hesitantly reaching for him.

He had a lot of apologizing and explaining to do but it seemed like Keith just might be willing to listen.

Chapter 24: Marked

Summary:

A new development

Notes:

Thank you, luminiferousaether, for the princess-carry comment 😘 put in a li'l somethin' just for you.

Chapter Text

Waking up from the healing pod was always so disorienting. 

Lance never remembered the last hour or two before getting in—at least not at first. It filtered in now, out of focus and in pieces, as he woke. The trials on Oriande, his fresh new bond with White that he could no longer feel at this distance, Blue’s new-old form, arriving back on New Altea, arguing with Keith who had tried to out-stubborn Lance about princess-carrying him to the medbay...

The impatient taps and beeps of someone poking at the healing pod’s screen made him scrunch up his face and try to wake up faster. Finally, the pod hissed and warm air brushed his skin. His body’s immediate reaction was to step out of the pod before his eyes even opened. It was never a good idea, it always led to falling over.

This time, there were strong arms to catch him.

Lance buried his face in their shoulder, clinging just as tightly to them. He smelled leather and cloves, and the silky strands of hair that escaped their low ponytail tickled his cheek. One arm clamped around his waist and the other led to a gloved hand with bare fingers warmly cupping the back of his neck. “Keith.” He sighed, his hands gripping the back of his jacket tighter. A mess of emotions bubbled up in him and Lance had to swallow around a lump in his throat and an annoying burn in his eyes.

Keith rubbed little circles into the side of Lance’s neck with his thumb, as if Lance wouldn’t notice. Lance cautiously reached for Keith through their bond, his mind apologizing while he got his mouth working to follow. He had no idea if what he said was completely coherent, but he was desperate for Keith to forgive him. His babbling died off as Keith started to rub firm circles into his back.

“Lance, hey… it’s okay.” Keith’s breath tickled the hair at Lance’s temple. The low, gentle rumble of his voice filled Lance with warmth. “Yeah, I’m still upset, but I’m not mad.” He didn’t sound like he was having difficulty breathing, so Lance took that as permission to hug him tighter. Keith’s responding chuckle did sound a little breathless but Lance wasn’t letting go now.

“I shouldn’t’ve—”

“Lance.” Keith huffed with annoyed fondness. Lance’s belly squirmed. “I told you I trusted you, and I still argued with you.” He squeezed Lance a little when he opened his mouth to protest as if he knew Lance was gearing up to argue still. “I’m sorry. I was… I was scared. You were going somewhere I couldn’t follow.”

“I was scared, too.” Lance finally started to pull back, meeting Keith’s gaze. Keith’s hands slid down to settle on his ribs, twin spots of heat that Lance wanted to sink into. He reflexively squeezed Keith’s arms to keep himself steady and upright. “I am scared. I barely know what I’m doing, and the one time I did, you didn’t back me up.” Keith opened his mouth to reply but Lance cut him off. “Neither of us knew then, but the White Lion was trying his best to reach me. All he could do was give me a gut feeling.”

Keith knew how often Lance’s gut feelings had been right. “I’m sorry, Lance. I should have followed your lead. This is your mission, not mine.”

Lance shivered and he hunched his shoulders, looking away. “The last thing I want is for it to be mine.” It was already too overwhelming. How much more weight could his shoulders bear? “I want it to be ours. I can't do this alone, I need you.” His cheeks warmed. “I need the Paladins of Voltron.”

“Okay.” Keith said with a short nod, as if it were just that simple. “Then we get the Paladins. Pidge is already coming with us once Red is ready. Hunk and Shiro are a little harder—“

“Not Shiro, not yet.” Lance spoke before the thought had even completed in his head. “When all this started, Black was last, remember? I think… no, I know Black will be last. And who knows where he’ll be and what challenges we might come across. We need Shiro to be able to lead the IGF Atlas in case we need some serious backup.”

“I’m sure he won’t mind too much.” Keith paused with a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “As long as you don’t miss another Paladin meeting.”

“I missed…” Lance’s brows furrowed together in confusion. “How long was I gone?” No one had told him before he went into the pod. In their defense, they had been busy cutting away the glove of his under armor and applying a gel that stunk and stung to pull all the debris out of his skin. Once that was done, they popped him into a pod like a microwave dinner.

“Just over a week and you were in the pod for over a day.” Keith’s touch lightened and he took a half-step back. “Are you hungry? Hunk had mentioned something about snacks and a…” his mouth puckered into that too-cute ‘thinking pout’ that Lance hoped Keith never grew out of. “Uh, ‘vent sesh’...? Pidge said something about a Garrison nest? And Evil Giant Pygmy Jerboas 2: The Return of Dreadtooth…?”

Lance perked up, a smile tugging at his mouth. “They found the sequel? Oh man, Keith you’re going to hate this movie so much. I hate the first one. It’s so painful to watch. It’s great.” 

Keith slowly raised an eyebrow at him. “Then why… watch… it?”

Lance sighed and shook his head. “You’ll learn, Keith, you’ll learn.” He patted Keith’s shoulder and passed him, heading for the doors of the medical wing. Weariness dragged at his whole body, his arms felt too heavy and his knees were watery. He stopped before he could go very far. “Would you walk me to my room? I’m always a little unsteady after a trip in the pod.” He’d had more practice during the war than he’d like.

A few hurried steps put Keith at his side, his hand settling at the small of Lance’s back. “You’re okay, right?”

Lance bumped his shoulder against Keith’s before leaning into him. “I’m fine. Just cold and a little shaky. It’s normal for me, remember?” It had been a long time since Lance’s last jaunt in a healing pod, something he was grateful for. That Keith had forgotten a little detail about an unpleasant part of their past felt like a good thing to Lance.

They walked in relative silence down the halls. There was plenty to talk about but they had already wordlessly agreed to wait for the others. What they needed to talk about the most, they would. Now just… wasn’t the right time. Lance hesitantly reached out for their bond halfway to his room and neither of them even looked at each other as they just existed in each other.

Keith sat on the bed when Lance grabbed a pair of grey lounge pants and a tee before disappearing into the bathroom. He shut the door most of the way and slowly peeled himself out of the ruined under armor. His movements were stiff, and the light in the bathroom made his head ache a little so he worked with his eyes shut.

After pulling on the pants, he couldn’t find the shirt. He cracked his eyes open to look for it when he noticed a tattoo—a large tattoo—on his chest. He swore under his breath, reaching out to run his fingers over the raised lines. The White Lion’s face was centered over his heart, his mane swirling around his head. The swirling white linework stood out in sharp contrast to his darker skin and lines interconnected. It looked like a fanciful constellation, with its many star-points and curving lines. There were five equally spaced out circles, four empty and the fifth with Blue’s face in her color. It was comprised of little droplets like rain on a window. He swore louder and grabbed for the door, yanking it open. 

Keith startled from where he sat on the bed. He looked over at Lance, his eyes widening and his face blossoming a fetching pink. Lance gestured sharply at his half-naked self. “Look at me!”

“I’m looking.” Keith confirmed, his eyes roaming all over Lance’s body. His cheeks darkened further and Lance huffed, crossing the room to open the window behind Keith. He could have opened the window if he was too hot in Lance’s room. Lance was close enough that he swore he could feel the heat from Keith’s body against his own.

“I guess it’s going to fill in as I bond with the Lions, which, cool, but also it’s not like I’m going to forget which Lions I haven’t gotten to yet.” He huffed a little, trying not to pout over something he was actually pretty okay with. It would have been nice if White or Blue had mentioned it, or if any of the lore about Lion Touched that had been quickly crammed into his head had.

“And, uh, the…” Keith trailed off and Lance looked down to see Keith’s gaze locked at the vicinity of his hips. “...others?”

“What oth—?” Lance looked down at himself and finally noticed what Keith was staring at. To match the angled crescents on Lance’s cheeks, he now had more markings on his skin to match. He could see a pair on the tops of his feet, just above his toes, and two above his hips with the peaks just above the top of his hips and the points dipping below the waistband of his pants.

Lance twisted around to try to look himself over, finding more. The insides of each wrist had the points directing toward his palms, and he had another set where his collarbones and shoulders met. A small single one rested over his sternum just where the Paladin armor would cover. Another pair glorified the curve of his deltoid muscles, just like the glowing vees on the Paladin under armor would rest. “How fucking many…?”

“Here.” Keith lightly touched Lance’s back just under his shoulder blade. His whole body lit up as cool, rough fingertips dragged over his skin to trace another shape. Lance inhaled shakily, biting back a truly embarrassing sound. It should not feel that good for such an innocent touch. “There’s two more here.” Keith’s voice was low, a bit husky, and doing things to Lance’s body that they had no business doing.

Lance stepped away before he did something he would certainly regret (like yank out that damn hair tie, bury his fingers in Keith’s dumb-probably-silkier-than-it-looked hair, and kiss them both stupid). He snatched up his shirt and pulled it on, wishing that he hadn’t picked something with a sheer mesh top half, but he loved this shirt. It made it look like a shark was eating him from the legs up and Romelle had found it for him. It was a gift and he was certainly not thinking hard about Romelle giving him gifts over kissing a cute, blushing man who had lit up his entire body from a light touch.

“Let’s go.” Lance resolutely ignored how his voice squeaked. “We… I shouldn’t analyze this too deeply without Pidge and Hunk…”

“We should call Shiro, too. Last he knew you were still in the healing pod.” There was a careful evenness to Keith’s voice, like he was trying hard to sound calm but it just made him sound robotic.

“Right. Okay. Plan: you change clothes, we find Pidge and Hunk, hole up somewhere comfy, and call Shiro. Good?” He cocked his head a little at Keith to confirm.

“Why do I need to change clothes?” Keith asked. Lance looked him over slowly to convey wordlessly that wearing his Blade suit to a slumber party just wouldn’t do. He must have been too subtle because Keith still looked baffled.

“No one’s going to attack us while we sleep. It’s time to get cozy in pajamas. Shoes are forbidden.” He distinctly remembered that Keith had slept fully clothed, shoes and all, once too many on the Castle at the beginning of their first space adventure.

“I, uh, don’t really have…”

Lance interrupted him before he got even more awkward. “You can borrow some of mine.” They were pretty much the same build, anyway. Lance was a bit longer in the leg, and Keith had broader shoulders but it wasn’t enough of a difference for something that was baggy on Lance to be too tight on Keith or anything. 

He turned back to the wardrobe and only had to consider for a moment before grabbing the softest hoodie he kept here (his favorite, too, the thumb holes in the cuffs had been worried to peak softness and the drawstring had metal aglets that were satisfying to click together). It was a faded navy blue, the screen printed design across the back for Varadero Beach nearly illegible. He passed Keith a pair of jogger bottoms and shoved him toward the bathroom.

He waited impatiently (something he didn’t want to analyze right then, why would he be so looking forward to Keith in his clothes?). 

Keith shuffled out after a few minutes, his Blade gear neatly folded in a pile in his hands. “Can I leave this here?” Lance couldn’t help but stare. Sure, he’d given Keith the hoodie but he wasn’t expecting… He swallowed, his gaze sticking on how Keith’s thumbs were through the holes in the cuffs and his fingerless gloves were nowhere to be seen. Keith’s awkward shuffling at the silence between them made Lance blink and finally nod in reply. Moment broken, Keith set it at the foot of the bed and waited for Lance’s next move. 

Lance dug out two pairs of slippers (“Better be safe, who knows what’s on the floor of the workshop.”) and together they headed out. Pidge had messaged them both where to meet up.

Red’s side of the workshop had been tidied up and, over the week he had been gone, a lot of progress had been completed on her repairs. She laid comfortably on the ground, her head resting over her front leg. Lance reached out to her and she reached back, filling him with a warmth he’d never found anywhere else.

As Lance neared her head, he spotted the top of Pidge’s. In the space between Red’s cheek and paw, there was a cushion and blanket nest big enough to fit four adults. Someone had scrounged up a low table and placed a few covered dishes on it. He almost said hello when he came to a stop.

Blue was there, her head cocked as Hunk offered her a piece of something. Lance could feel her amusement without even reaching for her. He bit back a chuckle as he stopped Keith with a hand to his arm. Their eyes met and they quietly tucked themselves into Red’s shadows to listen in.

“I don’t think she can understand me. Or maybe she doesn’t like plantains?” Hunk was trying to talk quietly out of the corner of his mouth at Pidge.

“Do normal lions eat anything that isn’t meat?” Pidge asked, not actually looking for the answer as they poked at the small display on RJ (Rover Junior). “She’s a weirdly solid hologram of a magical space Lion, Hunk, I don’t think she eats anything.”

Lance planted his hands on Red’s leg and heaved himself up so he could chime in. “She’s a hard light projection, actually.” He grinned at Pidge’s startled shriek. “She doesn’t eat, but she thinks you're very sweet for offering Hunk.” Blue nodded sharply in agreement. Hunk shrugged and popped the morsel into his mouth.

Lance finished climbing over the Red Lion’s leg and slid down to land on the nest. Quickly kicking off his slippers, he walked by Pidge to ruffle their hair on his way to Hunk. He didn’t even have to ask. Hunk scooped him up into his arms in the biggest bear hug ever. Lance even kicked his feet up so Hunk had to hold him or drop him. “I missed you so much, man.”

“I missed you, too, buddy.” Hunk set Lance back down into the nest and grinned wide, his eyes a bit wet. “It’s been too long.” He squeezed Lance’s shoulders briefly. “I didn’t have a whole lot to work with since we didn’t know when you were going to be back, but!” He gestured proudly to the covered dishes. “We have sweet, savory, and something in-between, and they range on how healthy they actually are.”

“A proper snack buffet.” Lance nodded, encouraging Hunk to continue. He heard Pidge talking quietly behind him and half-turned to see Keith had squatted down next to them to see what they were doing. He smiled softly and turned back to Hunk.

“For your dining pleasure, we have plátanos maduros, herb and butter popcorn, and churros.” All had ingredients that had been adapted to grow here on Altea. Nothing complex that to be imported. Lance would forever be in awe of what Hunk could do with food. 

"Oops."

That caught their attention. Pidge didn't look sorry at all when Hunk and Lance looked over. "I accidentally called Shiro early. Get over here." They waved Lance and Hunk over, shuffling around on their knees. Over their time in the Garrison, the trio had had many late night movie nests, or stressed study nests or… there were a lot of nests and they all knew how their bodies were best arranged with each other's.

At Lance's request to join them, Blue climbed in and curled up against Red. Lance leaned back against her with a happy hum as she washed over him and they lightly embraced via their bond. Hunk sat to Lance's left, their shoulders brushing, and Pidge crammed in between them, using them both as a back rest. 

"C'mon, Keith." Lance patted the space next to him. "Gotta sit close so Shiro can see all of us." It wasn't exactly the truth, but Lance just… really wanted Keith close. He slipped his arm around Keith when he sat next to him. He brushed against their bond, brief and happy, as the call picked up. 

"Sleeping beauty has awoken," Lance said instead of hello. "I heard you missed me, Dad." Shiro's sigh was almost as good as the stifled giggle to Lance's right. Grinning, he settled back into the warm bodies around him. This was just what he needed. 

Chapter 25: Contact

Summary:

Paladin Call time.

Notes:

Wow, it's been a while. I've been banging my head against some serious writers block for the next-next chapter and I've finally admitted I should delete it all and start over. Somehow. I won't have any writing buffer so chapters are going to be slower as my morale is in the dump.

Thank you, everyone, who have stuck around.

Chapter Text

It was testament to how tired Lance was that he was content with silence as the others caught up. He leaned against Hunk and rested his cheek atop Pidge’s head, moving with the shift of their bodies. They’d done this often in the early months in space when everything was scary and new and they had been closest with each other. The Garrison Trio. 

Shiro had confirmed that Lance was okay and then Lance had skillfully redirected the conversation to something he knew that Pidge would run with. He had years of practice with being the youngest sibling of a large, busy family. Redirecting conversations to get out of trouble or to gain attention worked on a lot of people. Allura had commented on it in private once, after another successful public event with Voltron. If he’d had the heart for it, he probably would have been a great diplomat.

Lance tipped his head to peek over at Keith who wasn’t snuggling in as close as the others. He instead watched Blue’s form intently where she now laid between their legs, her tail casually draped over Keith’s ankle. Her big head was on Lance’s lap and he hadn’t stopped petting her since she’d settled there. How could hard light have such soft fur…? Her presence in his mind was the slow rocking of gentle waves. She certainly wasn’t helping him stay awake.

He nudged Keith’s foot with his own. Keith looked over, his gray eyes dark and focused on Lance. A tiny smile joined the warmth brushing against Lance’s mind. He sunk into it, welcoming Keith into the space in his mind that he reserved for the bond. The landscape was mostly static, but they had gentle rolling waves and a warm, setting sun. He would have sunk deeper into it if he hadn’t heard Shiro calling his name.

“Lance?” He looked over at Shiro, lifting his head slowly from atop Pidge’s. Shiro had this crooked, fond smile on his face and his eyes flicked between him and Keith. “I heard that there was…” he paused to clear his throat and twirl an invisible handlebar moustache. “Business?”

Lance held up his index finger in a ‘wait a moment’ gesture and gently pulled away from Keith mentally. They stayed connected, but to the equivalent of linked pinkie fingers versus a firm hug. Lance met Shiro’s gaze through the screen and rolled his wrist, making an artful circle with his index finger before going to twirl his own invisible moustache. “You are correct, good sir.” Lance dropped the accent and the smile from their shared joke slowly faded.

He glanced down at his lap to see Blue staring back up at him. A brush of fondness passed between them. He could do this. It was as much of a debrief as it was friends catching up, right? "To start,” he lifted his head a little bit higher and sat up just a bit more. “I want to remind you all how amazing I am, because I passed the trials. I can access all the knowledge the Life Givers have of the Lion Touched and…" he held up his hand to show off the mark on the inside of his wrist. "Whatever this means."

Pidge hummed curiously and leaned over to inspect his wrist. “Is it just these?”

“No,” he listed off the other places that he had them over his body. “I have no idea if they’ll all glow when these two do, either.” He waved at his face. He hadn’t exactly planned on becoming a human nightlight. Luckily most of them would usually be covered by clothes, especially if they were as sensitive as the ones he had on his back. They didn’t seem to be when he touched them himself, so why was Keith’s touch so different?

“I wonder if they have any functional purpose?” Pidge mused aloud, reaching out to brush their fingers over the mark.

The room around them slowed and for a moment Lance and Pidge’s gazes locked. They gasped in unison as what Lance could only describe as floodgates opened and a cold fire ripped through his mind. A hint of blue lit up Pidge’s face, Lance’s marks were glowing again. And then… no more thoughts, just knowing.

Lance blinked as Hunk’s hand waved between his face and Pidge’s. Keith’s hand was gently squeezing the top of his shoulder like he’d been lightly shaking him. A spot on his arm felt hot but he ignored it. He didn’t look away from Pidge, their eyes bright and a small smile curling their mouth. Lance swallowed, his throat dry. Blue lifting her head and brushing at the edge of his mind with her concern got him to finally break eye contact with Pidge. We’re okay. That was…

“Lance is an Altean Alchemist!” Pidge threw their hands up excitedly, nearly smacking Hunk in the face with their exuberance. “And he can transfer knowledge to people he chooses. Oh, man! Oh, I’ve got so many questions.”

“Hold on, Pidge.” Shiro’s voice was firm and Lance looked over to the screen. It was hard to properly read his face with Hunk sitting mostly in the way, but Lance was good at reading people. Or, specifically Keith, and Keith had gotten some of his facial expressions from his surrogate brother. That was the start of a worried furrow between his eyebrows. “You two were just frozen, staring at each other for over a minute. Keith even pinched you, Lance, and you didn’t react.”

Lance looked over at Keith, who ducked his head a little to hide his face with his bangs. That explained the sore spot on his arm, he must have pinched him pretty hard. He mentally reached for Keith, who brushed against him with a crackling warmth and apology. He bumped his shoulder against Keith’s and accepted it. Of course he did. “I have a bit of an explanation for that. The White Lion and Life Givers put a, well, block in my head.” 

Pidge snorted and Lance playfully shoved them at Hunk in retaliation. “All the information they were cramming into my head would be way too much for anyone to deal with all at once. This lets me access it when I need it, in pieces.” He continued to explain, theorizing that the freeze was the block working through how much to give, and then the shared transference of that knowledge to Pidge as well.

“I’m glad that there’s no brains exploding from knowledge and all,” Hunk began, looking between Lance and Pidge. “But it was creepy, man. You two were just suddenly statues, void of like, everything. Is it going to, y’know, happen again?”

Lance winced. “Not exactly ideal if we’re in the heat of the moment, I agree. I’ll see what I can do as far as coming up with questions.” From what he understood of this recent barrage of information, it was entirely based on what was asked. He had to understand the topic to ask more in-depth questions. He had no doubt that Pidge would help him come up with plenty.

“We just want you to be safe.” Shiro reassured him with a smile. Lance found himself smiling back, the knot of anxiety that had been tangling in his chest loosened. “If that were to happen at the wrong time…”

“Yeah.” He paused. Sentences took more effort as his mind parsed out everything he had just learned. It would be freaky, if he had any real time to think about it. For right now, he couldn’t. He had to focus, be a role-model, be a leader. “It requires touching the marks, someone else or myself. Luckily, my Paladin armor will have me covered. No info-dumping accidents for me.” 

“Glad to hear it.” Shiro settled back a little more, the screen showing that he was settled in some kind of home office. “Now Lance, what was that penalty you’d mentioned if someone missed a Paladin call?”

Lance groaned and covered his face in his hands. Him and his dumb ideas. Pidge’s cackle didn’t exactly help and he could feel Keith’s smug amusement from beside him. He elbowed them both, pushing himself forward and closer to Blue who chuffed and shifted so he had room to stab an accusing finger at Shiro. “No! Nuh-uh. I have gone through some shit, mister.”

Although he could see Shiro fighting back a smile, his eyes alight with mischief, Lance continued. “Firstly, I was in a portaled, powerfully protected planet—”

“Say that five times fast.” Keith laughed as Lance playfully shoved his face away as far as his arm could reach. Keith just leaned back with a smirk, resisting falling over (probably thanks to his awesome abs or whatever, Lance’s mind supplied unhelpfully).

“And risking my life doing trials to save the universe and all I got was this sweet tattoo.” He yanked up his shirt to show off the Lions tattoo on his chest. He dropped the fabric almost immediately after. 

“And Altean Alchemist knowledge.” Pidge added.

“And more markings.” Hunk chimed in.

“And to get all that, I went through the trials alone. Blue was incapacitated and there was silence in my head—” His voice cracked and the words caught in his throat when a lump he could hardly swallow around formed. He looked down at his lap and twisted his fingers together. 

Blue pushed closer, butting her head against his chest until he leaned back against Red’s jaw, the metal warm against his back. Keith slipped his hand down Lance’s arm, stopping the anxious movement of his hands and stealing one of them. Pidge looped their arm through his, hugging it and tugging him toward themself and Hunk—who reached out to rest a large, warm hand at the top of Lance's spine. 

"I know it's been over a week for you guys, but it just happened for me. Coming back, injured as I was, feels like only a couple hours ago. I still...I still haven't processed everything I went through." It had been nearly non-stop since they found Red. 

“We’ll listen.” Keith squeezed his hand when Lance looked over at him. “If you want to talk about it, we’ll listen.”

“Yeah, man.” Hunk curled his fingers where Lance’s shoulder met his neck and gently shook him a little. “It’s okay if you don’t, or if you just want to talk to one of us.” Tears stung Lance’s eyes and he smiled gratefully at Hunk, his bottom lip trembling a little.

“We’re still a team, Lance.” Pidge knocked their head against his shoulder. He felt them hum when he tipped his head atop theirs. “We promised we’d do this together.”

“As together as we possibly can.” Shiro continued, his voice so warm. Lance looked up toward the screen and just… really wished for a Shiro hug. They weren’t often, but they were all-encompassing and firm and just what he needed right then.

“Okay.” His voice was a little wobbly. He reached for Red a little in his mind, settling into her warmth as it wrapped around him. As soon as he was well-rested, they would bond, but for now, he was okay with having to reach out for her and Keith to hold them close.

It was reassuring to know that Keith could feel an echo of his emotions while they were tangled up like this. Keith would know when Lance needed a break, when he needed comfort, when what he was talking about was too much. Keith would be on his side, irrevocably on his team in a way that no one else was. When he finally bonded with Red, Keith would be able to reach out to him first, and Lance knew that the details would be finer, sharing thoughts easier.

He started with Red. His story wasn’t without embellishments, it wouldn’t be a real Lance McClain story without them. He nudged Keith a few times, trying to get him to participate in the parts that he knew. Shiro and Hunk hadn’t been fully caught up, after all. It was easier to tell a tale once to everyone than again and again. 

What wasn’t easy was talking about the trials. It had started out nice enough. He painted them a beautiful word picture of the planet, with all the floating islands in the sky. How everything was pastel and serene (and without a thorn in sight) and he had just wanted to lay down in the grass, or swim in the many lakes.

But everything changed once Blue touched down. It wasn’t difficult to explain how the sudden emptiness made him feel hollow. Lance was talking to the four people who would know that feeling better than anyone else alive. His friends around him pressed closer, and Red and Blue started to purr. Lance could feel faint vibrations from Red’s purring through the floor itself. They were all reassuring Lance as best they could that he wasn’t alone now.

Lance called the climbing to the temple the first trial, although he had no idea if it was or not. “I’d like to know if there was any kind of symbolism for making me climb a freaking cliff but at the same time I think it’d just annoy me.” He groused. The group chuckle did encourage him to keep going. He told them about the floating rocks that he had to use as a bridge and how he’d had to time every jump with his jetpack. He could feel his friends tense around him when he told them of how he’d nearly missed and winded himself. It was like when he told them all ghost stories when they were separated in their Lions. They had dimmed the lights to let their passengers sleep on the long trip to Earth and Lance had taken the opportunity to get in some spooks.

He was just about to describe the last jump when he paused. He looked around at them all, from Hunk to Pidge to Shiro to Keith. “The last floating rock twisted under me as I jumped and I hovered in the air for a second. My heart in my throat, I engaged my pack before gravity could drag me into the chasm below. The landing was not my most graceful…” He looked to Keith, who watched him intently. “The impact twisted my arm and the force of it ripped my arm out of the socket.” He looked down at his lap where Blue stared up at him. Keith squeezed his hand once, his thumb stroking over Lance’s knuckles. His dramatic retelling faltered as this detail wasn’t one he wanted to embellish. Or relive. “I… uh, I reset it myself.”

The hiss of sympathy around him surprisingly helped settle him. He told them about the temple, and the sages. He glossed over the attack and simply explained the statues retreat when they saw the Lion shield. Or maybe the Castle Diamond? He still wasn’t sure, even now, what had caused them to back away. He left out how much it had hurt, how he had begged, how scared he’d been. Lance found it easier to sound cool and brave when the others believed it of him too.

He couldn’t hide the same way when talking about the next trial. He had barely described the room before his stomach lurched in visceral reaction. Sweat beaded at his temples and he gripped Keith’s hand hard to keep himself from shaking. The others didn’t need to know just how badly this affected him. Even though he’d accused Keith of not trusting him before Lance ran away, Lance had never stopped trusting Keith.

“I didn’t know what to do.” His voice sounded small to his own ears. “It was a task made for Alteans, and I’m not…” He licked his lips, his tongue catching on a chapped edge. “The ceiling kept lowering, no matter what I did. I… I was so… I didn’t take my hands off, even as I crouched on the floor. My shoulder was so stiff and screaming in pain and I was… I screamed, too.”

His next breath hitched and he hunched his shoulders closer to his ears as if he could be smaller and hide in plain view. Pidge’s grip tightened on his arm and they shoved closer, pushing him into Keith’s side. He barely recognized his own voice when he spoke again. “It’s not like I haven't died before.” Keith stiffened against him and Lance bit his tongue. Had no one told…? He shoved the thought away before he lost his courage to continue. “It had just never happened this slowly.”

A heavy silence surrounded them. The lump in Lance’s throat kept him from saying anything else. Blue’s nose nudged at his chin so she could snuggle closer. She was careful as she pressed in, her front limbs wrapping around him as best they could so her chest was pressed tight to his belly. Lance wrapped his arm as best he could around her without dislodging Pidge. 

“Lance…” He looked up to see Shiro, his face pained and grey eyes bright with tears. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that alone.” Of course he would understand. (Lance once had tried to establish a ‘Zombie Club’ with Shiro but the rest of the team had insisted that it was too soon and shot him down. Shiro had winked at him, though.)

Lance nodded tearfully and bit his bottom lip. “I had no choice.” Just like none of them had a choice about being a Paladin of Voltron. Did they regret it? No. But Lance would be lying if he said he didn’t sometimes wish that it had been someone else and he could have stayed naive just a little longer.

“What matters most, Lance, is that you’re okay.” Hunk leaned between Pidge and Red so he could wriggle in to snuggle Lance just as tightly as the others. Pidge scooted forward a little to avoid getting crushed, leaning into Blue when the lion didn’t seem to mind. He rubbed circles into Lance’s back and chuckled wetly when Lance lightly knocked their heads together. “You’re here, with us, and you’re… physically whole.”

“And emotionally…” Lance shrugged, he had no words for the maelstrom inside him. “But, you’re right. I’m okay. I’ve no plans of going anywhere by myself again for a while.”

“Damn right, you’re not. I called dibs.” Pidge nudged him playfully. Although their eyes were a bit glassier than normal, and their smile wobbled a little at the corner, Lance knew they weren’t dismissing his feelings.

Lance glanced over at Keith, who had been very quiet. The weight of everything between them felt almost unbearable but Keith just shrugged. “Later?” He asked, voice rough as if his throat was tight.

“With Red.” Lance confirmed, hoping that conveyed enough meaning that Keith would understand. He had no idea what their bond would do when Lance finally reconnected with Red. Hopefully, that would be an easier conversation by then.

He cleared his throat and looked around the group slowly. “I’ve a story to finish.” And if he left out some details and simplified the last trial to just hugging the White Lion? Well, that was his business. He told them the most important parts, like the indescribable joy of reuniting with Blue and seeing her new form. 

“And, Pidgeon,” Lance smirked down at the smallest Paladin, “these Lions can purr. Pay up.”

Chapter 26: Realization

Summary:

There is a clarity in fire.

Notes:

This is the last chapter I have written. My motivation is nowhere to be found and it really sucks. I'm bad at middles.

Chapter Text

Lance’s hands shook with giddy anticipation. To occupy them, he grabbed the metal aglets of his favorite hoodie, tugging the string back and forth. He stood in front of Red’s muzzle, rocking and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Keith to arrive. He was fully rested and Red had been repaired enough that it didn’t make sense to wait any longer. Their reconnection had the potential to strengthen and speed her healing, after all. 

Blue circled him, head-butting him over and over from different directions. She, too, was excited and almost impatient as they waited for Keith to show. Lance chuckled and just rocked with the playful shoving. Her purring was loud enough that if he closed his eyes, he could pinpoint her position around him. He likened it to the way the moon pulled the tides around the Earth and she teased him for trying to be poetic.

The scuff of shoes behind him had Lance turning around and catching Keith before he could sneak up on him. He beamed and reached out to snag his sleeve and tug him closer. “Nice to see you in something other than Marmora armor. I thought you didn’t have anything?”

Keith blushed and shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. The wine red vee neck shirt was a nice pop of color compared to what Lance had seen him in these last few years. “I figured since we’re going to be here for a few days that I should get some things.”

“Uh-huh,” Lance gave him a slow once over, “and the first thing you had to get were shit-kicker boots and fingerless gloves?” He raised an eyebrow as he grinned at him. The warmth of Blue’s amusement made his grin just a tiny bit sharper.

Keith held up a guilty hand briefly before rubbing the back of his neck. He ducked his head and mumbled something, making Lance lean closer.

“Sorry, Keef, didn’t catch that.” His cheeks were starting to hurt from the force of his smile.

“They’re left over from the Castle!” Keith explained explosively, throwing his hands up in the air. “The Castle made me, like, twenty pairs when I was there! What was I gonna do? Return them?”

“The Castle made you that many duplicates?!” Lance nearly choked on his laughter. He pulled the Diamond out from under his hoodie and pointed at it accusingly. “Listen here, asshole, you made me deal with like, three pairs of socks in space for a year but you duplicated twenty fucking pairs of fingerless gloves for Keith? That is rampant favoritism!”

Keith’s startled laughter made Lance look up. He could practically feel the besotted look on his face and he hurried to cover it up. “You’re seriously telling me I could have stolen a pair of your gloves and you wouldn’t have noticed?” He lowered the Diamond back to his chest gently and smoothed soothing fingers over it reflexively. “I could have done so many Keith impressions with those things.”

“I’ll give you a pair.” Keith drawled, rolling his eyes.

“Wait, how many pairs do you still have? I lost most of my clothes when, y’know.” He gestured to the Diamond that hung between the hoodie strings to explain the catastrophic loss of the Castle and everything that had been inside.

“Uhh…” Keith did a very nice tomato impression and Lance got closer, catching his wrists.

“Keith, dude, how many. You have to tell me. Is it more than half?” The flicker of Keith’s gaze to Lance’s eyes and away was all the answer he needed. “Holy shit,” he wheezed, “this is too much. I can’t… You are incredible.”  

Keith didn’t fight the grip on his wrists and avoided his gaze. “Lance…”

“You shut your quiznak!” Lance’s chest hurts from the giggling he’s trying to hold back.

“I still don’t think you’re using that correctly.” Keith muttered but it was so fond and he was starting to smile, too.

“Keeeith.” Lance bent over wheezing, his arms straight out and holding onto Keith’s wrists so he didn’t fall over. “Fucking…”

Keith sighed and twisted his hands in Lance’s grip to consolingly pat at his arms as best he could. “Breathe, man.”

Lance slowly stood back up, taking deep breaths. He stepped closer to Keith, his cheeks aching from the force of his smile. “Only you.” He hadn’t let go of his wrists yet and the urge to slip his fingertips under the cuff of the gloves to stroke over the delicate skin hidden there was so strong. His jaw flexed the tiniest bit and he moved his hands up to Keith’s forearms instead. Safer territory there. “Can I have these ones?”

“Really?” He sounded incredulous but Keith’s eyes were wide and he just stared at Lance.

Lance, who had opened his mouth and said something really stupid. Because Lance was stupid and had been reminiscing too much about his dumb crush. Ex-crush! Keith pulled his arms from Lance’s grip, pulling him out of the lovely jaunt his imagination had just started to go on. Before he could start apologizing, Keith bit at the underside of the middle finger of the glove and tugged.

Lance nearly swallowed his own tongue.

The internal screaming, however wordless at first, quickly resolved to ‘who the fuck takes off their gloves like that?!’ Lance stared, breathless and mouth threatening to hang open. When both gloves slapped against his chest, he remembered to breathe. He caught them clumsily and blinked twice, his eyes eating up the blush staining Keith’s cheeks and ears.

“Enjoy.” The single word sounded a bit choked, forced. Keith wouldn’t look at him and Lance had no idea what kind of dumb look he had on his face.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before looking down at the gloves in his hands. The still warm gloves. That had just been on Keith’s hands. He had to recover from this, somehow. His sanity went with the first thought that came to mind: put them on. Were there better options? Yes. Hell yes. He could have laughed it off and returned them and said he was joking. He could have said countless lines about how he didn’t need the clothes off Keith’s body. He could have done so many things, but now, presented with this? He wanted nothing more than to wear them and feel the warmth lingering from Keith’s hands surrounding his own.

The leather was buttery soft. No wonder Keith wore them all the time. He looked back up at Keith to just barely catch the other looking away and up at Red. Red shifted a little to nudge Keith with her massive chin, a groan sounding from her joints. What was visible of his cheek was a fiery red, but it had to just be a reflection…

Blue sat next to Lance with a twinkle in her eyes that Lance didn’t want to address. At all. Red says ‘this entire interaction has been painful.’

Lance looked away from her and back to Keith. “We… we should…”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s as eager as I am.” Keith didn’t look away from Red’s muzzle.

“Right.” Lance reached up to place his hand on Red’s warm chin and held his other hand out to Keith. “Mirror me. I’ll connect to you first, and together we’ll go get Red.” He smiled reassuringly at Keith as he placed his hand next to Lance’s on Red, hand close enough that he could feel the warmth from it. He took the offered hand as well and closed his eyes, waiting expectantly.

Lance breathed slowly, deep and holding, until his thoughts calmed like when they had meditated together months ago. He heard Keith’s breathing sync up with his own and he bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling again. It felt natural to lean into the warmth of Keith’s mind and, to make sure that he could bring Keith with him into Red, Lance twined himself around his presence. Their edges were purple from how tightly he held Keith and he heard one of them softly gasp out loud.

He shivered and tightened his grip on Keith’s hand, lacing their fingers together and shifting closer. The invisible thread on his finger that had led them to Red tightened and then burst in his mind’s eye, the pressure disappearing. He was back at the edge of the chasm, but this time, he had Keith standing on his left and Blue to his right. The smoky bridge was back, but much wider and thicker. Across the chasm laid a painted desert and, in the distance, they could see the smoke from what had to be a massive bonfire.

He squeezed Keith’s hand and flashed him a grin. Between one second and the next, they were racing across the bridge. They didn’t let go of each other, their arms pumping and their feet in near-perfect sync as they raced toward their connection to Red. The distance melted between them faster than it should have been able to, and the roar of the fire sang in their ears.

The heat of the fire bloomed across Lance’s face as they neared. Keith started to slow down but Lance just tightened his grip and kept going. This was Red, she’d never hurt her Paladins. Don’t stop. The words were flicked toward Keith like the automatic twitch of his head to get hair out of his face. Keith’s hand tightened in his; it was all he needed to know that Keith was with him every step of the way. 

A single note vibrated in his chest, a part of a chord not yet fully struck. The bonfire swelled before him, the flames depicting the rippling silhouette of the Red Lion. Lance’s whoop of joy was soundless, or maybe even devoured by the roar of the flames. All around him, he could only feel heat. The fire before him, Keith’s hand in his own, and the strain in his legs as they continued to sprint toward her. 

Once even, Keith began to surge ahead of him in eagerness. Their fingers relaced to shift from Lance’s thumb on top, to Keith’s, and that tiny change made all the difference as the leader swapped. Lance threw his other arm out to embrace the fire, the spirit, of Red. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Keith tip his head back and grin. The harsh shadows brought on by the light of the fire carved his face in sharp relief. From deep dimples to high cheekbones to glowing eyes to the elegant curve of his brow.

Keith was resplendent.

He put the beauty of space to shame and Lance could confidently say that nothing he’d seen in the entire universe could match Keith in this moment. Lance’s next breath fought his lungs, the effort making him light-headed. He moved automatically now. His eyes couldn’t pull away from Keith, every part of him was drawn in. 

The heat of the fire swelled as they neared. A cautious voice in the back of his mind that sounded like Hunk protested what they were about to do. Survival instinct would have normally kept him from running into the heart of a massive bonfire, but with Keith’s hand in his and the presence of Red before him, there was no better idea. 

Between one thud of his heart and the next they broke into the heart of the inferno. Red surrounded him from all sides, occupied all his senses so completely that he barely felt Keith’s hand in his despite how hard he gripped it. He sunk into it gladly. Their reunion was stronger than the bond they had originally shared. Could it be because of his bond with White?

Lance basked in their reunion and the feeling of her twined around him. They wove together, two shades of red and his gentle blue. The bond was strong and solid and felt better than anything he’d ever had before. The stability of it made it easier to finally pull back and let Keith and Red get reacquainted. He and Red would have plenty of time together. Right now it was important that she properly bonded with her true Paladin. He opened his eyes to see the workshop, and Keith, and Blue waiting beside them. 

He didn’t move away, just in case it would break Keith’s concentration. Blue watched the Red Lion with such intent focus that Lance didn’t dare interrupt her either. A soft sigh brought his attention back to Keith and his hand twitched around Lance’s. Lance smiled fondly and stroked his thumb along the side of Keith’s index finger. The tiny, soft smile that pulled at Keith’s mouth stole Lance’s breath away.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Although Keith wasn’t etherially lit by a magical bonfire anymore, there was still something about him that made Lance’s heart ache in the most delicious way. That little smile was something he wanted to see every day, he wanted to put that smile there, wanted to protect it and the man who wore it. He ached to see Keith’s other smiles, all the ones he’d been filling up his chest with during their journey before they parted. Before Oriande, and even further before that. 

Lance just wanted to surround himself in Keith. In his smiles, his laughter, his joy. He wanted to be the cause of them. He wanted to be there when a smile was the furthest thing from Keith’s mind. This mission, their mission, had reminded Lance how much he missed Keith. How much he wanted to be with Keith—

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

Not again. He had gotten over him. He’d done this song and dance before and knew it was just going to end in heartbreak. Once, it had felt like maybe they could… but maybe Lance had waited too long. Maybe he’d been foolish to think that if someone had actually thought of him as a first-choice that they’d make a move. He couldn’t do this again. He couldn’t… he shouldn’t … He sucked in a shivery breath, feeling light-headed. 

Even if… even if he dared to hope, now wasn’t the right time. (And yet, that kind of thinking had led him to this exact position before. What if he had said ‘screw the war’ and gone for it instead? What if he could have been happy…?) Lance bit his lip to stifle a groan, leaning back a little in the subtlest, and yet most dramatic, backbend he could without disrupting Keith to put some kind of distance between them. As if it would help.

Keith’s fingers tightened around his own slightly and Lance straightened quickly. He shoved the mess in his head down and hastily constructed walls he hadn’t needed in years. He hoped it was enough, that he could hide how he felt from Keith now that Keith could reach out first. And reach out he did. The first brush of Keith’s mind against him almost tickled and it was as warm as the dark grey eyes opened and fixed on him.

Keith smiled slowly, a light in his gaze revealing how excited he really was. “Hi.”

Lance was helpless to it. “Hey.”

A rumble to their right had them both looking over toward the Red Lion. And then up. And up. Atop the Red Lion’s head, above where her eyes stared unseeing and dim, stood Red. Her edges flickered the tiniest bit at the tips of her ears and her lashing tail. It almost looked like she had darker red socks than the rest of her body as her hard light form picked up the colors around her.

She pounced.

In an uncoordinated flail, Keith and Lance tried to shield each other from the floor of the workshop as Red landed and flattened them to it. At best, they were a tangle of limbs and bruises with a very satisfied lion atop them. She pawed at the backs of their heads, pressing their foreheads together so she could vigorously rub her face all over them both at the same time. 

“How are you so heavy?” Lance grunted. Despite the complaint, he still wrapped an arm around her, fingers buried in her fur.

Red licked at his temple and he felt her chuckle as static made his hair stand up. How are you still so bratty?

Normally, Lance would have whipped a retort right back at her, but he felt Keith go abnormally still beside him. He looked over as Keith’s breath hitched, his eyes bright. “Hey, man, you alright?” He asked gently, worried at the sudden shift.

“I…” Keith swallowed, his eyes locked on Red. “I heard her. I heard her speak.”

Red shifted away from Lance to lay solely atop of Keith. She ignored his ‘oof’ as he took her whole weight and nuzzled at his face, purring. Keith hugged her tightly as she continued to rub, her large paws cradling his head so he couldn’t escape if he wanted to. No one spoke as Red purred and gave her Paladin all the love she could.

Lance sat up and pushed back a little to give them some space. He leaned a little against Blue, who leaned back. His fingers went back to playing with the ties of his hoodie but he kept as quiet and still as possible to respect Keith and Red as they spoke to each other. He had no doubt that Keith had caught on quickly with the silent communication. When wasn’t he a natural at everything?

“‘M not a kitten.” Keith mumbled, his voice watery and low. Lance bit his lip to stifle a chuckle. He doubted that Keith wanted him to overhear how petulant he’d sounded.

Lance reached for Blue and was met with calm, and comfort, and love so strong that he was nearly knocked breathless. He looked up at her, but her focus was still on Red even as she mentally twined around him. Of course. How blind could he be? He and Blue were far more alike than he’d originally thought. How long?

Blue lowered her head to nuzzle Lance’s cheek. Before Voltron. But this is my first time getting to see her like this. He didn’t have to ask, she shared tidbits of how they could talk, could feel each other’s emotions through the great distance between their centers, but they had never been able to be together like this, to be able to touch. Questions caught in Lance’s throat but she spoke again before he could ask them. As much as we’ve missed each other, our time together is infinitely longer than our time with you. I have all the patience in this world, for I have all the time in the universe.

Lance hummed softly and snuggled into her side a little more firmly as they watched both Paladin and Guardian.

Chapter 27: Harmony

Summary:

Discovering new abilities is always exciting.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Living in the castle for the first six months after the war ended meant that Lance knew the layout far better than any of the other Paladins. He had spent hours every day just wandering and mentally mapping out every detail because when he had a task to focus on, he could ignore the pain of losing Allura. It meant that now he could effectively avoid Keith—not that he needed to work that hard at it. Keith was so into his renewed bond with Red that Lance knew where he was at all times.

He hadn’t meant to avoid him, but Lance didn’t want Keith to know how he felt. He wasn’t ready for Keith to know the depth of his feelings. Not yet. Not right now when the weight of the universe rested on their collective shoulders again. Not when he wasn’t sure if Keith would even feel the same way. The hellish limbo of not knowing if they could have been something was better than the perceived rejection.

Red reached out a few times over the last few days to brush her mind against his. The warmth curled around him like she was there herself, twisting and rubbing the way cats did to show affection. It was her way of reminding him that she cared for him, too. Lance didn’t mind not getting to see much of her yet, they would have time together soon enough.

The time apart also meant that Lance was able to practice bringing up his mental walls. Blue worked with him, trying to push through his barriers until they were strong enough that he knew he’d be able to keep Keith out. Not that he thought Keith would just go poking around in his mind, but Lance wanted to make sure his control was perfect.

When he finally was ready to seek Keith out, he was in a Blade meeting. Just his luck. Lance turned to wander off, maybe visit the Gardens, when he felt Keith’s mind brush his own. He shivered at the sudden warmth and half-turned to look through the glass wall of the room he was in. Grey eyes caught his briefly before turning back to the screen. Keith didn’t miss a beat, even as the presence strengthened and a visual of the clock in the castle’s kitchens appeared in the forefront of Lance’s mind. The clock’s time displayed roughly an hour from now.

Lance let a flash of happiness flick over the bond and Keith slowly pulled away. Meeting time and place set, Lance headed toward the kitchens. He was certain there was some kind of task he could be given to occupy his time.


When Keith popped in to find Lance, Hunk seemed to materialize out of nowhere to drag him into cutting various fruits for the tiny tarts they were making. Lance had already been neatly slicing up fruits for a while and was glad for the company. He barely smothered a laugh into the back of his wrist—not wanting to touch his face with sticky fingers—at the bewildered look on Keith’s face. Hunk positioned him at a cutting board next to Lance, a knife already waiting. He squeezed Keith’s shoulders firmly before returning to his many custard-like fillings.

Lance leaned over to bump shoulders with Keith conspiratorially, grinning when the bump was returned. “Think your fancy sword fighting skills will help?” He waggled his eyebrows at Keith, his cheeks already aching with the force of his smile.

Keith frowned a little, looking down at the knife, cutting board, and the bowls of fruit on the counter. “I thought I was cutting fruit, not killing it.” He said, so straight-faced that it took Lance far too long to realize it was a joke.

Lance spluttered and flicked a bofandi pit at him with a practiced flick of his blade. It hit Keith in the cheek and—before any kind of shenanigans could ensue—Hunk cleared his throat pointedly. “Not in my kitchen.” He hadn’t even turned around and Lance exchanged a bewildered look with Keith before returning to his task. He showed Keith how to cut each fruit to match the ornate little shapes that Hunk wanted for each type.

Keith’s first tries were surprisingly clumsy so they snuck some ‘samples’ that they were certain that Hunk knew about too. After the third unevenly sliced fruit, Lance took pity on him. He rinsed his messy hands and returned to Keith’s side, slipping behind him. Keith froze as Lance tucked up close, reaching around and hooking his chin over his shoulder. “Relax, samurai, and stop murdering the poor fruit.”

“I wasn’t trying to…” Keith replied, his tone decidedly sulky.

Lance lightly touched his elbow, just under where his sleeve ended. “Can I try something?” Keith nodded and Lance took a slow, focusing breath. He could do this. He closed his eyes and carefully brought up the walls where he needed them before mentally reaching out. The warmth of Keith’s mind rose to greet Lance eagerly and he couldn’t help but smile a little and pull back just enough to duck his head and hide it in Keith’s shoulder. 

He focused on the fruit and the knife in Keith’s hands, mentally trying to shift the visual before him from Keith holding it to what his own hands looked like. Keith reacted and shifted his grip on both. Lance nudged him a little and Keith slid the knife through the fruit more smoothly than he had before. He stayed close and didn’t let go as Keith continued until the entire fruit was done. Then he stepped back and leaned a hip against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Keith a cocky grin. How was that for harmonizing teamwork.

Keith looked from the fruit in front of him and over to Lance and back. “We can share skills?”

“Well, I don’t think it’s that easy, but—” Keith grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged, ignoring his squawk of protest.

“Sorry, Hunk, we gotta go.” He started to haul Lance out of the kitchen with a determined gleam in his eyes.

“Do we?” The look Keith flashed over his shoulder made Lance shiver. “We do! Yup. Sorry, buddy, completely forgot.” He didn’t even get to hear Hunk’s response as Keith hauled him out and into the hall. His hands were still sticky from the fruit and staining the front of his shirt. Usually, he’d demand to know what was going on and where Keith was dragging him off to. He almost did. But Keith’s side of the bond teemed with excitement and curiosity and Lance was too entranced to do anything but follow in the wake.

“Keith, my man, if you’re going to rip my shirt off, might I suggest a different angle?” Sometimes he wondered who let him have less than five brain cells around attractive people. He certainly hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but here he was.

It certainly got Keith to stop and let go of his shirt. His hand hovered in the air between them, fingers flexing minutely as they alternated between close and release. He opened and shut his mouth with brows knit together as he clearly struggled for the right words. “Training.” He finally managed, but the rest of the thought came through the bond easily. 

Lance snatched his hand and dragged him down the hall toward the courtyard. How had it been this long and they still hadn't sparred with swords? He needed to try everything Keith was thinking. Could they sync up and share between them Keith's speed and power with Lance's dexterity and accuracy? Did they have to be touching? How far could they be apart on a potential battlefield and still improve each other? Pidge would have a field day with the data if they bothered to collect any for them. 

Lance didn't let go of his hand until they were parting ways to their respective lions to suit up. His restless energy made it harder to yank on the flight suit and snap his armor into place. It didn't help that Keith echoed his sentiments strongly through their link. It seemed like it took entirely too long to stumble down the gangplank, helmet under his arm and bayard in hand. 

Any sassy one-liner that Lance had prepared died in his throat when Keith stepped out wearing his paladin armor instead of being dressed as a Blade. It has been years since Lance had seen Keith like this. It… It was good. They approached each other like a pair of magnets, always seeking out each other. Stopping in front of him, the air around them felt charged. He didn’t know what to say, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Keith jerked his head toward the castle. The movement flicked the hair from his face and the urge to tuck a flyaway behind his ear made Lance grip his bayard a little tighter. Lance nodded and fell in step with him. It was quiet as they headed for the training rooms. Their grip on each other through the bond eased as they settled in and their burning excitement had simmered down to bubbling intrigue. 

“Where’s Kosmo?” Lance asked, the first thing that came to mind as he stepped into the training room. He headed to the console and set down his helmet to mess with the calibrations of the enemy strength. They were testing things out and didn’t want to actually hurt themselves.

“With Red and Blue.” Keith tucked his helmet between his knees to pull out his ponytail. He bit the elastic to hold it while he raked his fingers through to grab the stray strands that Lance had been nearly fantasizing over earlier. Lance damn near swallowed his tongue. He flicked his gaze down to the console again and moved on to make sure that enemy blows would have 95% of damage absorbed by their Paladin armor. “He’s fascinated, and Red at least finds it amusing. They take turns hunting each other.”

Lance chuckled, glad for the distraction. By the time he had barrier guards set up for their bayard blade forms (no friendly fire on his watch), it was safe to look up. “That sounds cute. I was wondering what was keeping Blue so entertained.” While he had practiced his walls, she had been trying to pry so he could practice keeping the others out. Keith might only pry in the heat of the moment (thanks impulsivity) but Pidge would bust in with their thirst for knowledge. He had wanted to be prepared on both fronts.

Keith shoved his helmet on and grabbed his bayard from his hip, flicking it out into its sword form. A shimmery cyan barrier curled around the blade which meant everything Lance programmed had taken effect. He pulled his own helmet on and looked down at his bayard, hesitating.

“What?” Lance looked up to Keith as he spoke and shrugged a little.

“Guess I’m a little nervous. The blue bayard’s never been a sword for me before.” He looked back down at his hand as he brought it up. “Just a rifle. And now that tower shield.” And that was exhausting to use. They’d had this awesome idea and now he hesitated, cold fingers of anxiety stealing up his back.

“Lance, you’re the only existing Paladin with more than one bayard form. If anyone can do this? You can.” Keith’s gentle smile filled Lance’s stomach with butterflies and a warmth wrapped around his chest that he couldn’t tell if it were sappy feelings or Keith through the bond. He held out the red bayard. “Here, try mine first.”

Lance hooked the blue bayard back to his belt before taking the offered one. He felt the handle change a little under his fingers to match the different shape of his grip. He stared at the bayard, turning it over in his hand, it feeling both foreign and familiar. He felt a tickle in the back of his mind, Red. It was fond and mocking at the same time. Like she was telling him to get on with it.

A steadying breath later, he brought his hand up before his face in a resting pose before snapping his arm out to his side and toward his hip, like when he’d perfectly sliced through those training orbs years ago. The weight of the bayard shifted but it made him feel more settled than unbalanced. He looked down to the red Altean broadsword in his hand. Just seeing it made his chest ache, but in a good way.

Lance looked up to spot Keith also looking at the blade in his hand. He smiled crookedly and rolled his wrist, drawing a perfect, wide circle with the tip of the blade. “Been a while, huh?” He’d never needed to use a sword while Keith was around when they were active-duty Paladins—but they had sparred a few times after… everything.

“There you go with your floppy wrists again.” Keith teased, bringing up an old argument. Lance had started it, of course, dragging Keith for how his swords always had a grip like an over-sized punching dagger. Keith had taken his quiet revenge in never letting Lance win a match.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes at Keith. “I’ll show you floppy wrists.” He hefted the sword at Keith hilt first and flicked his other wrist, the blue bayard materializing into it. The red bayard shifted in mid-air, lingering in it’s glowy, nebulous state a hair longer until Keith took hold. Lance swung his hand upward as if to knock Keith’s sword wide. He focused on the feeling of the Altean broadsword that had been in his hand and a beautiful blue longsword materialized to slice down across Keith’s chest. The protective barriers flashed and in the background was a faint ding. Point: Lance.

“We’re not supposed to be fighting each other.”

“That’s news to me, we’re always fighting.” Lance quipped, grinning. Keith rolled his eyes at him and it made Lance grin all the harder. “Fine, you win. Let’s slice up some training ‘bots.”

Keith turned to face the same direction as Lance, passing his sword to his left hand. Ambidextrous overachiever. Lance was about to tease him for it, too, when Keith took his left hand into his right and threaded their fingers together. “Ready?” His mind brushed against Lance’s, flickering and warm. Excited.

Lance squeezed his hand and turned toward the robots that were waiting for them to start the sequence. He opened his mind, letting their bond twine around him, envisioning it around his limbs to guide him. Slowly, he released Keith’s hand, keeping the bond strong between them. He glanced over, and flushed slightly when he saw Keith’s gaze already locked on him. 

“Ready.”

Notes:

Long time no see. After battling with how to get this chapter to behave, behold! I haven't given up yet on my muddling middle. Thank you to everyone who has stayed 💜

Chapter 28: Stalled

Summary:

They’re getting nowhere

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Lance jerked as Pidge yanked their hands out of his grip and jumped up in a huff. They had become increasingly twitchy during the meditation session to rekindle their bond. They flexed their fingers from tight fists to fully extended twice before whipping back around to him, eyes alight with an inner fire. “I hate your magic mumbo-jumbo.” The tone was a lot more defeated than the enraged and frustrated outburst from yesterday.

“I know.” This wasn't the first, second, or even third time they’d tried to do this. “And I hate that neither of us have the right questions.” They had tried to tap into Lance’s Altean Alchemy knowledge but either he didn’t have it within him or they didn’t have the right questions to get answers. They just had to go on instinct—something that Lance excelled at and Pidge didn’t.

Pidge stomped back over and flopped down into a tailor’s seat with a huff. They wrapped their arms tightly around their middle and hunched over. “This is bullshit.”

“Yes, dear.” Lance drawled. He dodged with an exaggerated flail when they kicked at him. 

“Your ‘bro powers’ are bullshit.” They flopped onto their back, their arms spread wide. “And Hunk totally exposed you. You didn’t fist bump your bond back to life.” Lance sighed heavily. Hunk correcting his embellishments behind his back. How rude.

“Okay, fine, we slow-motion ran while Kosmo howled the Chariots of Fire theme and hugged it back to life. There were many manly tears.” It was proof of how tired he was that even he hadn’t put in the effort to come up with a new, exaggerated story of how it had happened. Pidge just glared at him half-heartedly. Lance sighed and plopped his chin into the palm of his hand, leaning on his knee. “What we’re doing isn’t working.”

“No shit.”

“We need to attack this from a different angle,” he continued as if they hadn’t said anything.

Double no shit.”

“When I was struggling with Red…” Lance began, remembering back to that conversation out on Blue’s dias four months ago. “Keith asked me what my focus was. I had just been trying to… To summon the feeling of her, like the molten core of the planet or something. Maybe if I’d been sitting on an active volcano it would have worked.”

“But you didn’t need a volcano.” Pidge propped themselves up on their elbows and gave Lance a flat look. “You just needed the power lov—”

“Up-bup-bup-bup! No. Pigeon, no. Do not. Cease and desist. That was not it.” It didn’t take a genius to know that Pidge didn’t believe a damn word he just said. He plowed on. It was safer than trying to undig the hole he’d been thrown in. “What if… we go to Olkarion? They’ve got some of the densest and oldest forest networks that we know. And they’ve got that cool, uh, plant tech hybrid stuff…”

Pidge slowly started to nod along. “You think if we meditate somewhere that has a meld of Green’s forest element and my, uh, technology…?”

“Right! Give your focus a boost. We can pop over with a wormhole and be on the road by dinner.” They already had the Lions loaded up with everything they needed. Lance’s armor was repaired, they had gear and provisions, plus extra just in case. “Plus, I think Yellow’s string is headed toward Olkarion anyway.” If he remembered right. He didn’t have a star chart in front of him and he couldn’t see Yellow’s string without Hunk being close enough to touch. If they couldn’t find Green next, they could at least go get Yellow. Who knew why they couldn’t reach her? Maybe she was a lot further out, maybe Lance wasn’t strong enough yet, maybe he needed more Lions… there were too many maybes.

“Alright.” Pidge hopped up to their feet and walked backward toward the door. “I’ll find Keith and inform Ryner to expect us soon. I’ll need to grab some things I haven't packed up yet. Meet you in the courtyard?” 

Lance shot them double finger-guns before pushing up to his feet. After a quick goodbye to Hunk, he went to round up Red, Blue, and Kosmo from their hide-and-seek game in the Gardens. It was cute that the two lionesses played with Kosmo so much. The space wolf had been so stoic back when he first met the Paladins. (Lance had figured that being raised by Krolia and Keith for two years would do that to anyone.)

Lance held out his arms as Kosmo came running, braced for impact. What he wasn’t expecting was for the wolf to disappear and reappear directly in his arms. He staggered and wrapped his arms around the fluffy, wiggling menace with a spluttering laugh. He spit fur from his mouth while lightly slapping at Kosmo’s shoulder. “Love you, too, bud.” He reached up to the massive paws on his shoulders to guide the wolf back down onto four legs. Kosmo kept wagging his tail, his whole body wiggling with it. 

“C’mon, Kos, keep me company while I check over the Lions, huh?” He knew they were clear and good for interstellar flight but Lance’s nightmares hadn’t subsided all that much. The past was haunting him, twisting the nightmare from the farm on Earth with the time he found vines in Blue’s leg. Just last night he’d dreamed of opening a panel on Red and the vines whipped out, wrapping around his throat.

It was methodical to check the Lions over now, and Blue and Red shifted the two hulking metal bodies closer so he could work between them, swapping back and forth. From tip to tail, he checked every bit of plating over with both a scanner and his own eyes for proof to show his nightmares what for. He checked every panel, even though opening each one made him tense the tiniest bit until he’d proved that there was nothing sinister hiding inside. As he cleared each one, he skimmed careful fingers over the seams as they flattened. Everything lined up so perfectly.

After checking over the sonic cannons in each tail tip, he paused for a break. He brushed sweaty bangs away with the back of his wrist and pulled off his overshirt to tie it around his waist. The sun was hot and bright today with New Altea in the peak of its summer. Pidge must have gotten caught up with Ryner, not something that surprised him in the least. He walked toward the front of the Blue Lion to find Kosmo, who had tucked himself between the Blue Lion’s paws to splay out in the shade provided. 

Kosmo perked up when Lance planted a fist on his hip. He cocked his head, panting as Lance pinched the front of his shirt and tugged on it to fan himself. “Where’s Keith?” If Pidge didn’t have the time to get him, Lance could at least help out and make sure Keith was ready to head out, too. “I need—” Before Lance could finish the thought, Kosmo bounded up and curled around his hips like a cat would and teleported them. 

The air punched out of his lungs in the sudden movement and he snapped his hands up to catch his balance. The new environment was darker and cool compared to where Lance had been standing seconds ago. His eyes didn’t even get a chance to adjust before Kosmo shifted and teleported them once more, this time with an additional passenger.

With the wolf’s shoulder leaning into his hip—plus the two quick, consecutive jumps—Lance lost his balance. The surprise of it all had the additional victim also falling over themselves. Lance felt one of Kosmo’s legs catch behind his knee and toppled over backwards with his mystery companion. As they fell, arms wrapped around Lance and he was twisted mid-air.

The next thing Lance knew, his arms were pinned between himself and Keith. His forehead smarted where he smacked it into the other’s face. He fought to push himself upright against Keith’s protective hold around him. A small, frustrated growl escaped him as he planted his hands on Keith’s chest between them and shoved up. The first thing he saw was a very satisfied looking Kosmo who sat at Keith’s head, tongue lolling and tail beating the ground.

Lance huffed at how pleased the wolf seemed and looked down instead. Keith’s eyes were wide, purple irises with narrowed cat-like pupils. He blinked and gave a crooked smirk before stealing Lance’s line right out of his mouth. “We gotta stop meeting like this.” The smirk slowly blossomed into a fanged grin, revealing bloodied teeth.

Lance reeled back at first, sitting up on Keith’s thighs. “Shit.” He braced one hand on the ground next to Keith’s shoulder and grabbed his chin with the other to inspect his mouth. Keith tensed under his scrutiny—something that Lance could feel from where they touched. Lance looked up at his eyes before back down to his mouth when Keith flicked his tongue over where he’d bitten his lip. “Must have split your lip with my hard head.” Or a combination of that plus fangs.

“Y-yeah.” Keith licked his lips again before patting Lance’s side. (Since when had his hand been so comfortable against Lance’s side? Warm fingers had somehow slipped under the hem of his shirt when he was distracted. The skin against skin made him feel oddly lightheaded.) “I’m fine. Did, uh, did you need me?”

Lance snorted and pushed himself up and off to the side in hopes that the extra distance might calm the furious racing of his heart. “Yeah, we’re heading to Olkarion to see if meditating in that massive forest network might help with Pidge’s connection to Green.” He stood and brushed non-existent dirt from his clothes before offering his hand to help Keith up.

“Good idea.” Keith looked from Lance’s hand down to his own clawed one. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep, calming breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were back to gray with human colored sclera once more. He took Lance’s hand with a clawless one and hopped to his feet. “Have you—?” Kosmo crowded him excitedly, prancing a little from foot to foot.

Lance nodded. “Already checked the Lions over.” They had established the routine months ago, no reason to change it now that there were two Lions instead of one, and another person to boot. “Pidge’s talking to Ryner now, they should be along soon.”

Without waiting for either of them to make the next move, Kosmo raced over to where Red and Blue stood in front of the Lions. Lance shook his head and laughed, heading after the wolf. “Apparently you’ve been in one place for too long, Keith.” He echoed the sentiment. The longer they stayed in one place, the more twitchy he’d gotten. There was too much about to happen and it made Lance feel tense like a drawn bowstring waiting to snap.

“Mm. I think he knows that something’s going on. He’d rather be proactive.” It made sense enough in that Keith was always getting into something. Like keeper, like wolf, Lance supposed.

“Don’t we all?” Sitting around and waiting wasn’t exactly Lance’s style. He reached for Blue mentally, smiling as she eagerly crashed over him like a wave. Blue opened up the access for Lance to enter through the Blue Lion’s mouth when he was ready. “It’ll be weird to pilot without your backseat driving.”

Red’s headbutt to his abdomen nearly winded him, and Blue bumped her cheek against his upper arm. Their affection washed over their bond and he closed his eyes to bask in it. “Hello to you, too,” he mumbled, digging his fingers into the thick fur behind Red’s ears. The smaller lioness rubbed her forehead against him, purring loudly.

“Not a relief?” Keith teased back, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Well, I don’t want to be rude, but…” Lance trailed off and chuckled at the tiniest hint that Keith was about to pout. “You can’t escape me that easily. Pidge might talk both my ears off about their latest project if I don’t have you as a buffer.” Not that Lance would mind. Pidge had used him as a programmer’s rubber duck plenty. It wasn’t that he understood what they were trying to do, but he could ask questions that someone who did understand would never ask.

“Oh great, I’ll make sure to turn off the video so they don’t see my constant confused looks.” He leaned against Red’s paw and crossed his arms over his chest. (It was so unfair, him having arms like that. Lance was still so lanky, his muscles all lean. But damn, if Keith didn’t look good.)

“And deprive me of,” careful, Lance, “sharing meaningful glances and eyerolls? How cruel, Keithy.”

The exasperated sigh made Lance grin. It was the sound of him winning. “Fine, fine. I won’t… deprive you.” His cheeks were turning pink and Lance couldn’t blame him, it was hot outside and the reflection of light off the Lions wasn’t helping.

Before Lance could come up with some quip to respond with, Pidge was between them with their helmet under an arm. He nearly jumped a mile high. He hadn’t heard their approach at all. “Sorry to interrupt the flirt-fest, really, but we should get going. Wormhole’s up in ten and neither of you are dressed for the occasion.”

Lance blushed and took a step back toward the open ramp up into the Blue Lion. “You’re right, time to get a wiggle on.” He tried not to directly bolt up the ramp, but it was close. He crossed the cockpit’s floor with long strides and into the neck, then chest of the Lion. He grabbed his armor from the locker to lay out on the hammock before stripping down. He was still sticky and sweaty and took a moment to wipe down.

His mind raced for any distraction from the fact that he’d been flirting with Keith and there had been a witness to call him on it. He was trying to keep this on the down-low and apparently sucked at it. Admittedly, it was a damn miracle Keith hadn’t figured it out back when they were teenagers. He rubbed his palms over his cheeks before giving them a quick double slap. Think of anything else, McClain!

Lance didn’t manage another thought. His thoughts kept cycling back around to Keith as soon as he had shoved him out of his mind. With a dramatic sigh, he resigned himself to his fate. At least they were going to be in separate Lions this time. Maybe that distance, with Pidge’s backseat driving, would keep him from tripping over his tongue. 

He stepped out into the cockpit and slowly raised an eyebrow as he stepped around to view the pilot’s seat. Pidge was tucked up, their legs over an arm, chatting away with Keith who was similarly slumped comfortably in his own chair. Lance ruffled Pidge’s hair and pouted when they just waved him away impatiently instead of the usual indignant squawking.

“So we were thinking if we could reduce the ionic friction without losing the stability of the macromolecular structure—” Pidge continued even as Lance hooked his arms under theirs to haul them bodily out of his seat.

“Ready to get outta here?” He asked Keith, who was abandoning the glaze of confusion on his face for something more focused. Keith nodded, straightening in his chair as Kosmo poked his head into view. Lance grinned and stretched his arms up above him, letting his back arch and pop. He plugged in the coordinates for Olkari. “Hold onto your flight suit, Pidgeon, we’re blasting off.”

Notes:

I am very much like this chapter, stalled and stuck on this middle. But I’ve made some progress and I think I’m finally comfortable with posting. I’d like to get to monthly updates, at the very least. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me during my hiatus.

Chapter 29: Olkarion

Chapter Text

The forests on Olkarion were just as magnificent as Lance remembered. When they broke through the clouds, the emerald ocean of treetops greeted them. Wind-blown branches swayed, waving them down toward the surface. Blue and Red had raced over the trees, their paws not quite touching, but Lance had still felt the joy like he was running through a field barefoot with them.

Now, Lance carefully picked his way across the loose, winding paths on the forest floor. Golden streams of sunlight almost looked tangible as they sliced through the canopy above. He paused to rock up onto his toes to stretch out his legs. Leaving the Lions behind when the forest grew too thick, they had continued on with hovercraft that the Olkari had been kind to provide. For the last half hour, they had left even those behind.

This far in was sacred, the trees massive and wise. The world around them felt hushed, the local fauna respectfully quieting their sounds. Dust motes sparkled through the blades of light. Lance found himself reaching out to flick a finger through one, watching the particles swirl around the path he’d just drawn, twinkling in and out. The quiet would be unsettling if it weren’t for the sounds of his friends close by. Kosmo sniffed hard at something in a pile of leaves, Red watching him indulgently as he rooted around with his snout.

Now all we have to do is find the right one. Blue stood next to him, watching the same glittering motes. The one you dreamed of.

Lance reached out to playfully ruffle her ears and grinned as she bumped her head against his chest. “I’ll recognize it when I see it.” He told her confidently. His nightmares had never steered him wrong before, even if he couldn’t remember seeing a tree in recent terrors. Or maybe even ever? He couldn’t explain it, but he had a gut feeling he’d know the tree when he saw it. He dropped his hand and chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. “I hope.”

They continued vaguely in the direction that Keith and Pidge went. Roots from the trees around them were big enough that they all had to zigzag around or climb over them. He paused atop one, crouching with his bare palms resting on the bark. He reached deep inside himself, past his connections to Red and Blue and Keith… nothing. He let his sneakers slip forward and hit the ground.

Kosmo raced by and made a loop around Pidge who spoke quietly with Keith, their heads tipped together. Or, as much as they could be when Pidge just barely reached Keith’s shoulder. The two popped away from each other as the wolf bound between them and back to Lance, the wake of their laughter trickling back with him. A pleased warmth that wasn’t his own filled his chest for a moment and Lance looked over at Red who shook her head. It was clearly her fondness he felt.

Red intercepted Kosmo’s bounding form before he could plow Lance over and the two raced off through the underbrush. He watched them go, Kosmo winking in and out to keep up with Red’s massive strides. She wasn’t limited to moving a weighted mass and had no muscles to tire. Kosmo could only keep up by teleporting around.

Lance sat back against the root and leaned into the curve where it met the trunk. He tipped his head back to look up into the branches above, trying to spot anything that might be familiar. Blue rested her head on his lap, looking up at him as he sighed and closed his eyes. He tipped his head, his temple bumping against a ridge of bark. “Wish you could just tell me where to go.”

Blue lifted her head from his lap at the tell-tale bampf of Kosmo teleporting next to Lance. The wolf nudged his nose against Lance and he opened his eyes to watch the wolf give a whole-body wriggle. Blue had disappeared while he was distracted, but he figured that she was off with Red now that the wolf had been distracted. “Hey, buddy. Do you know where we should look next?” Kosmo lifted his head to stare solemnly at him for a beat. Lance cocked his head right back with a chuckle. 

Kosmo hopped back excitedly. His body wiggled with the force of his wagging tail. He stretched into a play-bow, his rear up and front paws spread out in front of him. He bounced a little, shoving at Lance’s feet. Before Lance could ask, Kosmo bounded off. He shook his head at the wolf but Kosmo stopped and looked back at him expectantly, not even ten feet away.

“I’ll… take that as a yes.” Lance shifted to follow, taking a moment to shake off and stretch. Kosmo yipped his impatience. Lance huffed and started to jog toward him to catch up. “You know, we could just teleport there if you’re so impatient.” Of course, the wolf didn’t respond. Kosmo nudged him and started to race off again. Lance had no choice but to run. “Hey! Kosmo, wait!” The wolf wove expertly through the brush and roots, forcing Lance to pick up the pace or risk losing him. He didn’t hear the others call after them, but maybe they’d gotten far enough ahead trying to find a tree that Pidge vibed with…

By some miracle, he didn’t immediately trip as he ran as fast as he could. He knew he’d lose track of Kosmo at the slightest fumble. He vaulted over a massive root and stuck the landing. A smug grin stretched his cheeks, proud of himself. The soft ground caught every step, springing him forward and eating up the distance. There was something invigorating about racing pell mell through the forest like this. He’d never felt so graceful while running this fast before. Something loosened satisfyingly as he put his whole body into it.

He let the world narrow down to just moving and breathing in time with the pace, his gaze locked on the fluffy tail ahead of him. The trees on either side of him blurred as he ran, the wind stinging his eyes a little as he tried to keep from blinking too much. Kosmo was hovering just on the edge of visibility and Lance couldn’t catch his breath enough to call him to wait. If only he could get close enough, he could pounce on him and end the chase.

The brush and roots thickened around him and he pushed himself harder, his legs burning with the effort it took to keep going. He let out a hoarse chuff, trying to get Kosmo’s attention but it was a rasping sound whipped away by a sudden wind as it picked up. He stumbled as the wind pushed at him, shoving him around as he tried to head to where he saw the wolf last. 

Kosmo charged back through thick brush that loomed above him as Lance approached at top speed. He ducked to protect his face as he burst through. He stumbled when the ground quickly shifted rocks over dirt and leaves, flailing as he choked on a scream. Before him, the ground dropped away suddenly. A massive crater ate the ground away from under his feet, snapped roots sticking up from the bottom. It made him think of ripping weeds out of the dirt at the farm, but this… this was one of the biggest trees he’d ever seen. Or what was left of it.

The shadows between the ravaged roots started to twitch and writhe at the bottom of the crater. They darkened and twisted as he watched in horror. He knew those movements far too well. He choked down a scream. Those weren’t roots at all. He looked down at the steep, crumbling edge before him and spotted them. Slick and shiny black vines raced up the edges toward him and he threw himself back. His arms were gripped tightly, the air knocked clean from his lungs.

“Lance…!” Blue’s voice shot through him, fading sharply as he blinked away the vision.

His mind spun as he struggled to focus on Keith’s worried face. He trembled in Keith’s grip from adrenaline, his lungs burning as he gulped for breath. His body certainly thought he’d run all that way, although it had all been some kind of…hallucination. Keith’s fingers dug sharply into his upper arms to keep him from falling backwards off the root he still sat on. He fumbled, reaching to grab at Keith’s elbows and steady himself. He was lightheaded. Shaky. 

His gaze darted around to take in his surroundings. The forest around them was still as he confirmed that he’d never left the tree he’d rested against. He glanced up at the tree, suspiciously wondering if the clue he’d been asking for had just been provided. 

It was never that easy.

Lance surged to his feet with gut-twisting urgency. “Keith, I—” A roar punched through the quiet of the forest as terror and pain sliced through Lance. His stomach lurched and he swallowed around bile and a cold, clinging dread. Keith hauled Lance closer just as he sagged under the maelstrom of sensations that tried to drop him to his knees.

“Whoa, Lance, take it easy.” Pidge held their hands up to stop him from stumbling forward but he brushed her off, his hands fisted in the sleeve of Keith’s flannel. Neither of them had let go of each other, their bond flared bright and tangled tightly with worry and desperation. It was almost disorienting as it cycled and amplified between them.

“Blue’s in trouble,” Lance gritted out, stumbling forward on aching legs. He willed away the unsteadiness, steeling himself now that he had something to focus on. He knew where Blue was, he’d just run there in his vision. Or maybe Blue had run and he’d just been along for the ride? Regardless of how, he knew where to go. “Red and Kosmo, too.” He looked toward where Kosmo had run in his vision. “Olkarion’s contaminated.” And no one had noticed. The vines were in the ground under their feet and ready to strike. 

He turned to Keith, a furrow between his brows. “You have to.” Go, he willed. Go and warn the Olkari. He started to walk backwards toward where the lions were. He couldn’t waste time here if they needed him.

Keith’s eyes flew wide and stubbornness set his jaw. He snapped an arm out and caught Lance’s hand. Their fingers tangled and Lance was loath to pull away but he knew he had to. “And leave you to run headlong into certain danger alone? Again?"

Lance snatched every reason rising in his mind, like fraying warp threads, and thrust the mess at him. Every Olkari was in danger or possibly contaminated. They didn’t even know what the vines would do to organics. What they’d seen on Toldarr hadn’t been pretty. If what he’d seen was beneath more than just the forest? The planet could be lost. Again. “Yes.” Firm. Commanding. Like the leader Shiro said he knew Lance could be.

Keith’s shoulders sagged but Lance knew he’d gotten the message across, knew that Keith had received everything he hadn’t said, everything that he’d passed through their bond in frantic desperation. “Pidge, let’s go.” He squeezed Lance’s hand once and let go. “We need to warn Ryner, call the Blade, and evacuate the planet.” He grabbed their shoulders and steered them away, both of them starting to run back to where they left the hovercraft. They could use the radio and hopefully reach someone quickly.

Keith’s presence in his mind gripped him firmly once before letting him go as the distance between them grew. He didn’t need words for Lance to know what he said. Be careful. Get the lions and get out. If Kosmo was with them, and safe, they could teleport back to the city before Keith or Pidge could even get there. 

He reached for his lions as he tore off down the path he’d run in his dream. Blue! Red! I’m coming. The returning emptiness fueled a burst of speed as he charged through the brush.

Chapter 30: Run

Summary:

He has to find them.

Chapter Text

Lance pumped his arms as he raced down the narrow path. He crashed through the undergrowth, trying to take the most direct route to the crater instead of the long and winding one from his vision. It didn’t help that trying to remember the exact route was like trying to grab a fistful of water. The details blurred together, twisting away from him most unhelpfully. He was quickly far from any path he might remember, so he let the memories go and focused on getting to where he was needed.

How did he even know where to head? He couldn’t explain it, but his feet kept moving forward and he grasped for any sense that could connect him to Blue or Red. He didn’t feel anything obvious, but maybe this went deeper than that. Maybe this was connected to those gut feelings that never led him wrong before. He sincerely hoped that this instinct would bring him to his Pride.

He kept his head ducked to mind where he was stepping. Twisted roots in the fading afternoon light looked far too much like the vines from his nightmares. Anxiety crawled up his back with sharp, icy fingers and his skin prickled into gooseflesh despite the heat of the day. His heart tried to shatter his ribs with every rabbit-fast beat. Every breath was a struggle, just like in his vision, but this time it was real.

Blue? He tried their bond but was met with a silence that made his throat clench. He didn’t dare search their mind space, terrified of finding a shore with a missing sea. He stumbled and pitched forward, coughing as a root caught his foot. The bond hadn’t felt that quiet, empty, since— He shook his head. Now was not the time to think of that. He scrambled to regain his balance and strained to calm his breathing.

The foliage was so dense he couldn’t see far in front of him. He didn’t know where to go anymore, which direction was the best one. It was like the growing terror had drowned out the instincts he’d been following. He needed a heading, but everything looked the same. He exhaled shakily and stood as still as he could, listening intently to the forest around him.

Snarling, and heavy, wooden groaning reached Lance’s ears. Kosmo? Or Red and Blue? He spun around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. He closed his eyes and focused hard to hear over the pounding of his heart. The sounds were faint, but definitely the direction he needed to head. If only he could get a bead on it! Darkness came in fast this low down in the forest and he wouldn’t have much light left. The vines would have a greater advantage against him if he couldn’t catch up to the lions soon. He slowly turned in a circle, silently begging for someone, anyone, to help him. He paused in his turning when he felt a hum in his chest.

He was so beyond questioning the weird Lion Touched shit right now. With a grunt, he pushed off once more through the brush.

As he neared the sounds, they started to echo around him. He couldn't tell where the vines were but he could hear growling, likely the sound of the lions (and hopefully Kosmo). He didn’t call out to them. He didn't dare risk interrupting their focus. Now that he was closer, Red was a sharp laser at the edge of his mind and Blue faded in and out like the receding tide. He grit his teeth and pushed forward harder, trying to get even the tiniest burst of speed.

The hair on the back of his neck raised as he closed in on the groaning of plantlife. It was like creaking floorboards yet on a monstrous scale. He was heading right for it. Or were…were they coming towards him? He couldn't slow down now without falling. A howl from Kosmo had him shifting his course. A shout bubbled up in his throat as something glinted in the corner of his eye.

The bayard shifted up into his hand as he swung his arm up. His sneakers skidded in the rough soil and he hefted his sword high just in time to catch a vine stabbing toward him. He sliced through it and used the arc of his blade to fling the end far from himself as possible. The severed end of the vine oozed a thick, oil-slick rainbow of what he could only guess was some kind of sap. 

Quick as he could, he shifted the sword to his rifle and fired. The vine was as thick as his arm where the laser pulsed through. He traced its path away from him into the brush where it grew even thicker before it vanished. How big were these vines? Where was the origin point? The crater? He both wanted to know and hoped to never see it in person.

A rustling behind him made him whip around and bring the rifle to bear. He hesitated as he heard footsteps instead of the slithering sounds of the vines moving along the forest floor. He took a step back, then another, just before Kosmo burst through the underbrush, panting. Lance sagged with relief and lowered his bayard. The wolf looped around him joyfully, hesitant to stop moving. Lance couldn't blame him. 

Another rustle behind him had Lance turning and expecting to see the lions. Kosmo’s growl came too late to warn him and a smaller, thinner vine snapped forward, going for his throat. Lance blocked as best as he could with his rifle as he didn’t have the time to dare trying to shift bayard forms. A thorn tore through his upper arm and the tip of the vine whipped close to his eye as it wrapped around the rifle. The pain that erupted in the thorn’s wake was more intense than anything Lance had ever experienced before. He leaned back, trying to kick the vine away as it tugged on his bayard. Kosmo bit at the vine further down where the thorns were further apart and pulled it back so Lance could shoot.

The vine dropped to the forest floor, twitching and feebly trying to swipe at Lance’s ankles. His injuries (particularly the new cuts on his face) burned like he was on fire and the blood was dark enough that it sent his heart racing. Was it red or black? He couldn’t tell, especially when it started to drip into his eye from the slice through his eyebrow. He looked up as he heard another rustle but this time the lions stumbled through where Kosmo had appeared. "Blue!" She looked…wrong. Her form was more transparent than Lance had ever seen her. Her edges flickered and her body was completely invisible from the mid-shin down. Red, too, was fainter, although her edges held fast. 

"I—" A rustle nearby had Kosmo shoving at Lance with his head, no time to stand around and talk. He tried to reach for Blue's mind but he couldn't fully connect to her. A chill raced through him. Whatever happened, it had hurt her and their bond somehow. A flickering warmth skipped over his mind. Red. Comfort, first, in a sharp and burning kind of way. Hurried but still earnest.

The conversation that passed between them was brutal and fast. Lance could never explain the fiery deluge of information that poured into his mind over a second. Two. It was overwhelming to be brought inside Red’s mind so abruptly, and then pushed out into his own just as quickly. But damn if it wasn’t the most efficient way to share what had happened. He coughed, his nose wrinkling at the fading smell of the vine pitch. It was cloying and acrid and left a horrible taste at the back of his throat.

Kitten? Red nudged at Blue carefully, encouraging her to lean into Kosmo.

With Pidge. They’re evacuating the planet. Can Kosmo teleport her out of here? It would be so much faster if they could just bamf to the Lions’ robotic forms instead of trying to run through this entire forest. He didn’t think he could run anymore, and certainly not that far. Not again. 

Red shook her head with a growl. They were all weakened and tired from the fight and would need to conserve what energy they could in case they were attacked again. They would have to run. Lance swore under his breath. If he was tired, how would the others even fare? They had been fighting this whole time, and had run out to the crater in the first place. Lance chewed on his bottom lip, his whole body shaking faintly with adrenaline as he raced through and discarded ideas left and right. Blue was just light, right? Hard light, but light just the same.

“I’ll just have to carry her.” It sounded simple enough, but even with her forelegs over his shoulders, her back legs would drag on the ground. He reduced his bayard and clipped it to his belt, going to Blue’s side and stroking a hand over her fur. It felt staticky and bit and clung to his fingers. “C’mon, beautiful. I’ve got you.”

He crouched a little to begin to scoop her up when she began to rapidly shrink. He gasped, scared that he’d hurt her more and she was pulling away—or worse, that she was disappearing completely. Instead, he wound up with a Blue the size of a housecat and looking like a young lion cub. He carefully cradled her to his chest with both arms as he stood. He adjusted to free his right hand. His bayard jumped into his palm, ready and waiting to become whatever he needed it to be. It was his injured arm, but he feared he’d drop Blue otherwise.

Blue nuzzled at his chest and the Castle Diamond pulsed gently with a soft glow where it hung by his heart. The tiniest wave lapped at the edge of their bond. She would be okay. He exhaled a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding and looked at Red and Kosmo. Red took that as him being ready and set off in the lead, scouting ahead. Kosmo took up the rear guard as Lance began to run.


The sound of engines caught Lance’s ears as the darkening forest thinned before them. He could see snippets of sky now through the canopy and it was deepening into dark pinks and purples. The people were evacuating, which meant that Keith and Pidge had gotten back safely. Next time, they would make sure that the comms on the hovercraft worked wherever they were going first. The next time the signal got drowned out by a forest or something, they would turn around and get something that did work. This was hell on his nerves.

He sighed in relief and carefully tightened his grip on Blue’s diminutive form with his good arm. His bayard precariously dangled from rapidly numbing fingers. Or, he thought they were numbing. He couldn’t really tell beyond how the scratches on his arm, neck, and face burned. All the pain had bled together into an overwhelming mass. It was getting hard to think of much else.

They were all worse for wear. Poor Kosmo had to be in as much pain as Lance, if not more. At least the blood oozing from his muzzle was bright blue and not the oil-slick black it had been at first. It was too dark to see if he had any other injuries on such dark fur. The wolf would be fine, he told himself. Lance refused to think of any other possibility. Red limped up beside him, carefully bumping his hip on his good side. Her left ear flickered, a notch gone completely, but at least there was no blood. He didn’t think he could keep it together if he had to watch more of his family bleed because he couldn’t protect them all.

He nearly dropped the bayard as his arm spasmed, but Kosmo nudged the handle against his thigh with his nose. Lance mumbled his thanks as he tightened his grip on it once more. They approached the speeder that Keith had left behind for him. He fumbled as he tried to hook the bayard to his belt as best he could. He was going to need to figure out how to fly the speeder with only one arm. Or less, if he couldn’t settle Blue’s small form somewhere safe.

Reluctant to put her down at all, he fumbled the storage compartment open. He bit his bottom lip to muffle his hiss of pain. His brief rummaging revealed a first aid kit, and a thin blanket made out of some crinkly silver material. The first aid kit had a knife (because any Keith approved first aid kit always had a knife) that Lance used to slice the blanket down to size. Having helped his older brother and sister-in-law with his niece and nephew meant he roughly knew the shape he needed to make an impromptu baby sling to tie Blue to his chest.

It wasn’t graceful. It hurt to shift around and put it on. He had to just sit and breathe through the intense burning in his arm for a full twenty seconds before he could carefully tuck Blue into her new nest. What he’d give for another pair of hands right then. Red and Kosmo had just watched in support. He pressed the back of the knife against his thigh to help fold it and tucked it into his pocket (‘just in case’ Keith’s voice said in the back of his mind. Since when was the cautious, sensible voice in the back of his head Keith?).

He balanced himself on the handlebar and threw his leg over the seat. Red climbed up on the wing on his left side, bracing her front feet on the foot panel behind his heel so she could peek over his arm. Kosmo clambered up on his right and stood half on the seat behind him to lean against Lance’s back for balance. It was precarious, but he had to believe that they both could catch themselves if they started to fall off. He had to focus on flying.

With a last second adjustment to tuck his right hand into the sling, Lance started the speeder. Just that little bit of support made his arm hurt less. The rumble of the engine under him made Lance feel like he was about to fly apart at the seams. He sucked in a steadying breath and tightened his grip. “Hold on.” He wasn’t sure if he was talking to his companions or himself.

They flew through the thinning trees toward the city. The headlights of the hover weren’t strong enough to light the berooted path, so Lance kept them up as high as he dared to and still fly below the lower branches. The longer they flew through the eerie, dark silence, the more on edge Lance grew. It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

A near-deafening crack and a spray of dirt had him jerking the steering to avoid the massive vine that burst through the ground in front of them. It was a dark shape in a sea of dark shapes and Lance cursed as it came right for them. Kosmo thumped against his back as Red roared her anger and surprise. Lance swallowed around his heart in his throat. He swerved them around the lashing vine, praying that it couldn’t sense them. The thing was nearly as thick around as his waist, the thorns the size of his arms. There would be no surviving one hit of that.

The sheer size of it seemed to slow it, so Lance leaned in on the speed. He reached behind him—his bad arm screaming the entire way—and dug his fingers into Kosmo’s fur to keep the wolf from flying off behind them. He squinted at the wind and whipping branches, wishing he had his helmet, or any of his armor, really. 

He started to count the seconds between the whooshing sounds of passing trees like one would count between thunder strikes. The closer to the city he got, the closer he was to any kind of support. Unless the vines had beaten him there, already attacking the populace. But he didn’t hear anything over the wind whipping by his ears. Nothing that might hint at mass terror and pain. He could only hope that the focus was on him and the lions, for whatever reason the vines had to focus on them.

Another vine ripped itself up from the earth, going for the underside of his hover. He released Kosmo and used both hands to pull up as fast as he could to keep the vine from spiking them high in the air. He screamed his anger and pain as his vision briefly grayed around the edges. A shadow rose on their left side as Lance adjusted the thrusters and shot them nearly straight to his right. The vines crashed into each other, splintering with the force of their movement.

Lance’s stomach dropped and he glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Kosmo was still there. The wolf snarled at the vines in displeasure, flattened to the seat behind Lance. He boosted them higher into the branches. See if the vines could find them so easily now that they had more obstacles. Of course, now he had more dark shapes to avoid. His hopes of making the vines' attacks difficult were short-lived as the shrill groaning of trees being torn down followed them. This would break the Olkari’s hearts and guilt roiled through his gut.

The rumble of another engine taking off—this one a lot closer—temporarily distracted him from the chaos behind him. They were almost out of the forest, he could see slices of almost blue fields of grass and even slices of lit up buildings ahead of him now. Time was a blur, he had no idea how long they’d been running and how long the Olkari had been actively evacuating their planet. ‘Long enough’ was all he could wish for.

As they burst through the edge of the forest, there was another rumble from below. Caught off guard, Lance didn’t have enough time to react to the vine bursting from the dirt and slamming into the underside of the hover. He cried out, curling instinctively around Blue’s small form against his chest. The hover rocked with the impact but not as much as he expected. He looked over the edge of the craft to see the vine fractured and falling away, fire from a powerful laser blast licking at the cracks of impact. 

Whipping his head around, Lance locked eyes with Keith. Keith, who stood on the back of the other hover. He had one foot up on the seat, a cocky smirk on his face that sent Lance’s heart racing, and a shimmering red rifle in his hands. He’d unlocked another form to his bayard.

And looked unfairly hot while doing it.

 

Chapter 31: Alone

Summary:

Lance has never felt so isolated.

Chapter Text

The Blade really didn’t mess around with their emergency responses. Lance figured it helped that Olkarion was the last destination that the teludav had opened a wormhole for. Just a quick punch through space to get as many ships to aid in the evacuation and quarantine as possible. Lance had to also consider that they had been cleaning up the messes that he and Keith had found during their travels for roughly four months. Toldarr and where they had located Red weren’t the only places that they had found blighted.

Shortly after Keith had taken out that vine with rather spectacular aim (of course he was an excellent shot! Lance had been his teacher, after all), others showed up on their own speeders to take up a defensive perimeter. Lance was pretty sure he recognized a few faces from various calls with Keith over the years, plus meetings he’d caught glimpses of on New Altea, but he couldn’t remember a single name at that moment. He just nodded gratefully to them and nudged his hovercraft toward Pidge’s.

“Hey, guys. Fancy meeting you here.” He plastered a tired smile on his face. It was the best he could muster even as adrenaline clanged around inside him like a super-charged pinball. He swore he could hear it rattling in his head.

“Lance, you’re…” Pidge wrinkled their nose, leaning closer in a mixture of fascination and horror. “Oozing.”

Lance wrinkled his nose and looked down at the burning cut on his upper arm that he’d miraculously been able to put to the back of his mind for the tail-end of their escape. It was oozing, a thick black secretion that glittered in the ambient light from the various vehicles and headlights around them. He reached up to touch his jaw where more of the tacky substance had trailed from his other cuts. He pulled his fingers back to inspect it. It was just like the sheen on those thorns… His stomach rolled and he closed his eyes to will the nausea away. “Yeah.” His voice suddenly hoarse, scraping its way out of his throat. “So I am.”

The weight of the hover shifted and his eyes flew open as his hands grabbed for the handles. Keith had one foot on the edge of the craft, and Red had already moved over to the other to tuck in behind Pidge. “Scooch. I’ll fly us in.” Lance braced with his good arm and scooted back as much as he could with Kosmo still behind him. 

Lance offered his good hand up to Keith, who took without hesitation despite the unknown substance on it. He braced himself as he switched over. Shuffling his footing a little, he swung his leg forward over the handles and sat in front of Lance. It was snug and Blue squeaked a little in protest. Lance quickly leaned back and checked on her, carefully pulling the sling back to look her over. In the glow of the Castle Diamond, he could see her tiny cross look and he couldn’t help but smile down at her. She looked so much more solid already, what a relief. He gingerly ruffled the fur atop her head with a knuckle, not wanting to get the black ooze on her.

“Is she okay?” Keith asked, his voice low but still Lance heard him over the sound of the engines. He reached around Keith to hold on and let his head tip forward and press just between Keith’s spine and shoulder.

“Yeah. I think she will be.” He closed his eyes and just sunk into the warmth coming from Keith’s body. With the adrenaline wearing off, he didn’t have the energy to do much—not even reconnect to Keith now that they were touching . Hopefully Keith didn’t mind too much. It felt weird to not immediately reach for him mentally but he didn’t think he could even if he tried. It wasn’t something he’d felt before and if he wasn’t so drained in every way, it might even have scared him.

Later. He could deal with it later. For now, he needed medical treatment for himself, Kosmo, and the lions. They could sort everything else after.


“I mean, we all know that Lance is the nap king. He’s been through a lot. I wouldn’t worry just yet.” Hunk may have sounded calm to his audience, but Lance had known him the longest. They had been roommates at the Academy from day one. Hunk was worried for Lance and Lance wouldn’t stand for that. Well. He wasn’t standing right now, so maybe mission already accomplished?

He started to shift in hopes to test out where he was but winced as shifting made his shoulder twinge. He felt so stiff and the telltale tug of stitches encouraged him to stay put. The ambient sounds around him were definitely ship and not Castle medibay, so they must still be in space around Olkarion. Which probably made sense, after all, they had to quarantine after being on a contaminated planet. He couldn’t have been asleep that long, right? Someone had started to clean his arm while he laid down and he’d just fallen asleep with Blue dozing on his chest.

Weight shifted next to him and he almost reached for it, thinking Kosmo or maybe even Blue or Red was next to him on the bed. If it were any of them, he’d be impressed with how they could make it feel like cool fingers were skimming over his forehead. The lock of hair that was starting to tickle his eyebrow was moved and he relaxed the tiniest bit. “Too late.” Keith muttered.

Lance’s heart stutter-skipped in his chest. He’d never been more grateful to not be hooked up to some kind of audible monitor. Keith had… Shit, he better not be blushing, he’s supposed to be asleep! Play it cool , McClain!

“Keith’s just tired of having to catch Lance every time he faints.” Pidge replied dryly from Lance’s other side. Lance bit his tongue to stop his indignant reply. He really shouldn’t be pretending to be asleep still but he couldn’t think of a way to just… wake up organically after that. He hadn’t even fainted! He’d asked the medic if he could lay down when they cleaned his arm, neck, and face because he was tired. He’d just fallen asleep really quickly!

“It’s not that.” Keith snapped, standing from the bed. Lance already missed the warmth that had been seeping into his thigh. “You don’t understand what it’s like, Pidge, I—” Keith cut himself off with a frustrated grunt. Lance peeked an eye open just in time to see him throw his hands in the air. “I couldn’t feel him. Usually when we get back in range of each other we just… the connection is just there.” His shoulders and arms dropped. Keith ducked his head. “As natural as breathing. And even when I reached out first it was… it was like he wasn’t even there. Like he was an empty shell.”

Lance couldn’t stop the frown that tugged at his lips. He opened his eyes a little more. He caught Hunk looking at him. Hunk simply quirked a brow at him before looking back at Keith. Lance struggled to lift a hand to rub at his face and gave up. Blinking, he could tell that he had eye crusties, gross. He didn’t try to move again for a moment. His limbs were kind of floating in an are-they-still-attached way. Maybe it would be best to just take things slowly.

He didn’t mean to reach out to Keith and offer him comfort. He hadn’t wanted to reveal that he was awake until he’d caught himself up mentally with the whole situation but… Keith was right. It was as natural as breathing for him to be connected with Keith mentally. But what he found… what he didn’t find was so much worse. There was no presence in his mind, no trace of Keith at all. That place in his mind was empty, like a burned out field. Nothing but black and char, not a trace of fire or heat to be found.

Panic welled up in his throat and he mentally lunged for Blue and Red next. There was the fuzziest feeling on the edges that he knew was Red, but Blue was missing, too. He laid frozen in the bed, his veins so full of ice that he began to shiver. He grasped for the Castle Diamond reflexively, aborting the move nearly as soon as he started when shrieking pain forced him to switch hands. His left hand landed limply on his chest, the gently pulsing gem missing. His soft gasp of surprise was drowned from his ears by the shocked reactions of the people around him. But he had a single-minded focus as he frantically searched his chest for the gem that had given him comfort since he’d donned it. 

Nothing. He braced himself on the bed now and struggled to push himself up, the bandages on his arm squeezing a little as muscles flexed. His vision started to gray at the edges, his hearing screaming with a pitchy whine and static. He blinked hard and Keith was suddenly by his side, helping him lay back down and pressing a button on the side of the bed to raise his legs. It lessened the pins and needles feeling that had begun to race through his limbs a little.

“Breathe, Lance.” Keith’s hand was firm on his uninjured shoulder. “Deep breath. With me.” Lance’s focus narrowed down to Keith, to the rise and fall of his chest, from the shape of his mouth as he spoke. He breathed with him until he had better control of his body.

“Where—” are you, where’s Red, where’s Blue , where’s the— “Diamond?”

Keith stared at him for a long second before something seemed to click. He grabbed the gem and the cord it hung from off a side table. Lance would have snatched it out of Keith’s hand if he had the strength. Instead, he grasped it tightly when Keith placed it in his hand. He didn’t care about the rough edges and wrapped wire biting into his palm and fingers. His hand thunked against his chest and he closed his eyes. The diamond was an unfathomable amount of raw quintessence crammed so tightly. It could fuel a thousand Atlas’s a thousand times over and more. It could be deadly, destructive, in the wrong hands. And to Lance, holding it against his chest, he felt comfort with that power humming in his hand—a peace and calm he could never describe properly in words.

He continued to breathe deeply, his focus on the Diamond and how holding it made him feel better. He imagined tugging its power over him like the most wonderful, plush quilt. He could almost feel the soothing warmth spreading through his cool extremities. Maybe he’d just gotten used to it being close? Maybe it was a comfort to keep something that had once been tied to the Lions and to Allura for over ten thousand years close? He leaned into the comfort of his connection with Keith and…

When he met Keith’s gaze, he felt as shocked and relieved as Keith looked. Their connection was there, thready and tenuous, but there . Sudden but so natural that somehow they hadn’t even noticed it returning.

“Oh. Of course.” He cleared his throat with a grimace. His voice had been harsh and raspy. Of course that would have worked. The Castle Diamond was like a terrifying battery full of quintessence. The lions’ hard-light forms were practically just walking quintessence. They, themselves, were even quintessence given sentience (at least, that was Lance’s current level of understanding). Of course Lance being in physical contact with the Diamond would recharge their connection enough that he could feel them again.

But if they needed the Castle Diamond’s boost to reconnect, then… “The vines feed on quintessence.”

Keith’s eyes lit up. “That’s why I couldn’t feel you.” 

Lance nodded. “And why I struggled to connect to Red and Blue when they were attacked.” The vines had injured them all and drew on as much of their quintessence as they could.

“The Lions are primarily composed of quintessence and metal, which would explain why they are being targeted so heavily.” Pidge frowned and drew up something else on their screens, their personal project now pushed to the side. “They’re practically a walking feast. Them and their fancy chosen one.”

“Thanks, Pidge. Always wanted to know I was delicious.” Lance rubbed a hand over his face but shot a curious glance at Keith when the other choked a little. Their connection was still very weak, he could barely get anything out of Keith beyond the fact that he was there. Lance would take whatever he could get, though.

“Guys…?” Hunk’s eyes were wide when Lance met them. “What else do we know of that feeds on quintessence?”

The room was silent as Lance thought hard about his time as a Paladin. He grabbed and discarded everything they went up against in no particular order, just trying to grasp at what he could remember. A soft ‘oh’ from Pidge was followed by a short huff from Keith. Lance looked up from his lap to see them all looking at him. He still hadn’t connected the dots but from the look on their faces, he knew his friends were worried about how he would react.

Lance looked between Hunk and Pidge before looking at Keith. There was a time when he and Keith were the last to know, the last to figure things out. It wasn’t the best of feelings, but at least he’d never had to be alone in it before. And now he was. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that the ground was going to drop out beneath you but not knowing when . Keith looked down, back up, and something in his gaze softened in a way that made Lance’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

“The Dark Entity.” Keith revealed. Three words had never stolen Lance’s breath so fast.

Chapter Text

The first time through, Lance failed the scan to be cleared from quarantine. Now that they could fine tune the scans to look specifically for dark quintessence in sentient beings, the scans were a lot more accurate. Just the thought that he had lingering bits of a dark entity within him… It was nearly repulsive enough to shake the funk he’d been in since they’d figured out what they were truly dealing with. Nearly.

His friends had to keep their distance as per a new protocol for those who had been injured by the vines. Some had reacted violently to the oil-slick toxins the thorns were coated in—literally so, attacking whomever got too close. Others were sickly and weak. It was a maddening puzzle that had absorbed Pidge along with others, trying to figure out how to heal them. After them, Hunk and Keith also disappeared into responsibilities to help feed the masses, or reunite families across evacuation ships.

Lance had taken meditation, now that he had so much time on his hands. Or he tried to. Emptying his head was difficult at best and maddening at worst. Clutching the Castle Diamond tightly in hand helped some. The rough edges digging into his palm had given him something to focus on. He needed all the help he could get to drown out his wandering thoughts. Blue liked to curl up in his lap or at least nearby to keep him company. She had healed a little from the ordeal, but was still very weak and had elected to stay in this new, smaller form for the time being. The meditation wasn’t doing much for his mood or his thoughts, as he kept circling back to the same one. They had never defeated the Dark Entity. Allura’s sacrifice may have brought back destroyed planets, but it hadn’t gotten rid of their greatest enemy, the one her father had fought over ten thousand years ago. 

Lance hated the quarantine. The others came to visit him, sure, but seeing them on the other side of the glass sucked. It had only been a couple days but Lance was burning to get moving and find Yellow. He couldn’t do that while cooped up here, and the Paladins couldn’t go without him. He needed to somehow get over the infection of dark quintessence and not just because it continued to exhaust him all the time. At least he had some company right now in the form of Shiro.

Lance flopped back on the cushion he’d been using for meditation and turned his head to look over at the screen showing Shiro’s face. “I feel weirdly empty. Like I should be more messed up about it all. Our greatest accomplishment was a lie. Allura’s sacrifice saved people and planets only for the entity that started this whole,” he waved his arms trying to find a word big enough, but in the end just huffed out, “mess to come back. But I’m not. I feel guilty that I don’t feel bad. When I was younger I would have totally blamed myself for this.”

“Then take this as a sign of growing up.” Shiro chuckled when Lance stuck his tongue out at him. “I’m serious, Lance. You’ve matured. If you can acknowledge that this isn’t anyone’s fault and not blame yourself for something you have no control over? Shit, I know plenty of adults that can’t do that.”

“Swear jar.” Lance said half heartedly. Shiro’s scoff and rolled eyes made Lance smile crookedly. It was nice to just fall back to all the old jokes he missed. If only Shiro was here to hand out back-breaking hugs. “Now, as the vice president of the Voltron Zombie Club, I motion to change the topic.”

“As President of said club, I agree.” Shiro leaned back in his desk chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Lance held back the little snicker as Shiro missed and instead of laying across the robotic arm, passed through the energy field that was his ‘bicep’. He knew Shiro had to have done it on purpose, it had been years since he’d gotten the new arm. “How is your recovery going?”

Lance tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and showed off the bandage on his arm. It was smaller than the last one. “Despite still having some dark entity goo still in my system and being constantly fatigued?” He shrugged his good shoulder at Shiro. “I failed my scan this morning, which sucks. But they said there was marked improvement since the scan twelve hours prior. We’re not sure why I’m recovering so quickly.” Especially with others getting sicker.

"You're going to keep scanning until you pass, then." Shiro stated, unsurprised that Lance was trying to brute force the system. It wasn't like Lance had time to just sit around and wait. He was needed. They both knew he couldn't just send out the others to find the Lions without him. He didn't want to, either. 

"Of course. Who the hell do you think I am?" He grinned when Shiro snorted and shook his head. It was already nice to get Shiro to laugh in some form or another. Lance had always taken pride in making the older man laugh; he hadn't laughed enough before. After everything he had been through, Lance couldn't blame him. It was why it felt like such an accomplishment when he succeeded.

"Have…" Shiro paused and looked down at his crossed arms. Lance waited for him to collect his thoughts. Now that he was no longer their leader, Shiro took care in his words more often. Not that he hadn't before, but now he wasn't struggling under the pressure to always know what to say and never let anyone see him hesitate. "Any sign of Black?"

Lance sat up, fiddling with his fingers in his lap. "No. Not yet. I have a feeling she won't reveal herself until I have united the rest of our Pride. She was the last we unlocked when we were assembling all the Lions before, after all. Maybe she just likes dramatic entrances." He cracked a smile but he knew it was weak. 

"I've dreamed of her." Lance confessed. "I dream of all the Lions. Red showed me where to find her. Yellow and Green are being tricky. It's too dark to see any clues as to where they are, but maybe when I get closer… but Black? She's locked in some unending battle with vines. There's no clear winner." But at least there wasn't a clear loser yet, either. He would hold out hope that Black would either hold on or pull through.

"I'm the odd man out, now that the rest of the team is all together." Shiro rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging a little. “It doesn’t feel right now that you’ve all gathered again and I’m still on Earth.”

Lance could understand feeling left out. “You can join us if you want.” He tucked his hands underneath his thighs to keep himself from chewing on a cuticle—a horrible habit he had been fighting for years.

“No, I can’t.” Shiro’s knowing gaze was like laserfire through the heart. Lance sagged a little, knowing that Shiro had caught the lie. “You don’t need another Paladin along for an adventure.” Why did he have to be so understanding? Lance sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

“I need you to pilot the Altas with your crew, more than I need another Paladin.” Lance admitted. Shiro’s look clearly said ‘see, that wasn’t so hard, was it?’ He stuck his tongue out at the older man briefly. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want you here with us. I really do. Could go for a back-breaking hug of the Shiro variety.”

“Oh, well, I think I can accommodate. Next time.”

“Next time might be a fight.”

“No better time for a hug. Post-fight victory squeeze.” Lance groaned and ignored Shiro’s delighted laughter. “A great big group hug, complete with embarrassing photo op. I’m sure Coran would—”

“Shiro!” Lance flapped his hands at the screen, making Shiro laugh even more. “Save your dadliness for Keith.” He was barely keeping control of his own laughter. He didn’t want Shiro to know he’d won. From the warmth shining in his eyes, Lance had a feeling that Shiro already knew.

“He made me promise to save some for you.” Shiro retorted as there was a knock at his door. He excused himself briefly and stood from his desk, moving toward the door to quietly talk to the officer that appeared in the doorway in blaring Garrison orange. Lance watched the shift in how Shiro held himself as the relaxed Shiro left to be replaced with his more official counterpart.

Their goodbyes were quick. Shiro was needed elsewhere, his break over. Lance waved goodbye until the screen winked out. He sighed and flopped back onto the cushion. He had five more hours to go. Five more hours to try to will his body to heal faster so they could leave and find the remaining wayward Lions. Without the distraction of company, time crawled by.


The moment he cleared quarantine, Lance found himself scooped up into Hunk’s arms and hugged within an inch of his life. He laughed to prevent himself from crying and hugged back just as tightly. Hunk released him with one arm long enough to drag Pidge into the mess, despite their loud protesting. Lance managed a look at Keith who just shot him Lance’s trademark finger guns and leaned back against the wall. He clearly had no intention in getting crushed to death in the name of teamly love.

Hunk released him before breathing really became an issue and he stumbled a little with a fond shake of his head. He clapped Hunk on the shoulder, this time opening up the bond enough to enjoy the steady presence of his best friend and to reawaken the golden string that was around his pinky. He followed the trajectory with his gaze but couldn’t orient himself completely from inside the building. They would need to get to a starmap or the Lions to plot their course.

“The Lions are stocked and ready to go.” Keith interrupted Lance’s thoughts before he could even start a sentence. “Supplies have been updated. Leant Hunk one of my suits, so we’ll both be down the same number.” It was wildly helpful that the flight suits and armor really did just change their size to fit the Paladin donning them regardless of the Lion they originated from.

“Well, let’s not stand on tradition.” They had been here for four days already. Lance waved his hand to graciously gesture for his team to proceed him. Now that they could finally leave, he was itching to go. It was a far cry from how comfortable he’d been on the farm. He didn’t miss that quiet life as much as he thought he might. He had missed being a Paladin more, even if he hadn’t let himself admit it. He missed his family, but he missed his found family just as much.

The Blade’s ship wasn’t all gunmetal gray with pinkish-purple lights like he’d thought it would be. It was bright and colorful, an interesting contrast from the uniforms a lot of the Blades still wore. The scheme reminded him of the Galra they’d encountered when freeing Red. He’d have to ask Keith about it later. Now, his entire focus was getting them all to the hangar with the least amount of interruptions so they could be on their way.

He might have had Blue’s company while he was quarantined, but he hadn’t seen much of Red or Kosmo at all. He missed them both and was eager to even see the Lions again, although he hadn’t missed sleeping in the hammock or the otherwise tight quarters while flying. Plus, whenever they weren’t camping planetside, they would be sharing those tight quarters until Yellow and Green were found.

Both Lions were laying down in the hangar, their heads resting on their massive paws, ready to open their mouths and let the Paladins inside. Both pairs of eyes lit up as Lance and the others got closer and Red’s form burst from the mechanical counterpart’s nose as she raced toward Lance. Her presence hit him only a breath before her form did, knocking him back and purring louder than he’d ever heard before. He threw his arms around her, burying his fingers into her fur. “Missed you, too.”

Blue trotted over to wind between his ankles until he picked her up. He had a feeling that even if she were back to full strength that she would enjoy the fact that Lance could carry her around. She pawed at his face until he ducked down enough that she could smash her head against his chin. He grinned when Hunk aww’d at the cuteness. Nuzzling her back, he looked over at his friends. “Who’s coming with me?”

“Hunk’s riding with you.” Keith accepted a paper bag from Hunk, who had pulled it from another, bigger bag. “Red’s a lot smaller—”

“—And Keith flies like his ass is on fire.” Pidge interjected. “He doesn’t want to deal with the motion sickness.”

And,” Hunk added pointedly, passing Pidge a bag as well, but this one had a bit of a pout with it. “I called dibs on the bonus bro bonding time.” He shot Lance a wide smile. He hefted up the larger bag with him. “I made them their own road snacks. Ours are in here.”

Lance reached out and clapped Hunk on the shoulder. “It will be the bestest, most beautiful bonus bro bonding bonanza.” He led the way up into the Lion’s now-open mouth to start pre-flight procedures. He let Hunk change into his gear first, taking his time to set up connections with the Red Lion. 

Keith’s presence faintly blossomed into his mind, conveying confusion and fondness. Pidge must be talking about their latest project again. He wouldn’t put it past them to be talking loudly through the door at Keith, whether he wanted to listen to them or not. Lance connected the call so he and Keith could share a knowing look. Pidge’s voice was picked up by the mic, but he couldn’t quite understand what they were saying.

After swapping out with Hunk and settling into the Pilot’s seat, he closed his eyes and connected to Blue. She had dissipated her hard light form, instead combining once more with her robotic body. 

His and Hunk’s bond was still new and weak enough that they needed full skin contact for the thread to appear on Lance’s finger. Hunk pulled off the glove of the body suit with only a little bit of a struggle before resting his hand at the nape of Lance’s neck inside the protective curl of the chest armor. It was maybe a little odd for positioning, but it was the easiest way and it kept Lance’s hands free for the HOTAS.

“Keith, I’ll follow your lead out of the hangar.” He tapped at the screen to his left, pulling up a star map and comparing it to the angle of the string trailing from his finger. It took him a few minutes to work it all out, but between his amazing pilot skills and an uncanny knowing that he chalked up to being Lion Touched-related, he got what he needed. “Sending you and Teludav operations the estimated trajectory and coordinates for the Yellow Lion. We should be able to wormhole in about five minutes, so let’s give our ladies a good stretch.”

“Copy that, Team Leader.” Keith shot a smirk at him that made Lance’s heart flutter in his chest almost as much as Keith calling him ‘Team Leader’ did. He was so caught up in Keith’s words he nearly missed Pidge’s comment in the background to ‘stop flirting’. His cheeks colored and he looked away from the comms screen.

The Blue Lion arched and stretched, Red Lion doing much of the same next to them. The doors of the hangar began to open in anticipation of their departure. Red bounded out first, with an excited energy that Keith echoed in an excited whoop. Lance guided Blue out hot on their heels, but much smoother for both Blue’s sake as well as Hunks. There wasn’t much of a strip to have them race down, so both Lions took to the air quickly, racing through the skies.

“Oh wow!” Hunk gripped the back of the chair to keep his balance, but otherwise the Lion’s movement was smooth and graceful. “I didn’t know they could move like this. They’ve always been pretty, well, rigid.” Lance brought up another screen with a quick wave of his hand so Hunk could watch how the Red Lion ran through the air.

Red’s romp was a lot more animated than Blue’s own—Blue was still tired, like Lance, and they both knew that Hunk’s stomach wouldn’t agree. Red’s exhilaration and Blue’s joy and Keith’s impatience bled over into him through their bond. They were all so ready to go, ready for the Blade’s wormhole to pull apart space between them and their destination.

As the wormhole began to form, both Lions wheeled toward it, racing through the sky. He slipped further into Blue’s mind and sensed Keith nearing the precipice of doing the same with Red. Lance grinned and closed his eyes, feeling the Blue Lion as his own body. He raced Red toward the wormhole, a content rumble drawing up in his chest. As they all leaped one final time, it was to a chorus of a triumphant roar.

Chapter 33: Surprise

Summary:

Needing a place to rest, the Paladins instead find nothing.

Chapter Text

Two days after they wormholed, Lance's connection to Blue started to get shaky. It was difficult to describe the fuzzy edges around it. The best Lance found was a mixture between listening to someone talk while you're underwater and being on the verge of passing out. It was unsettling.

They needed to land somewhere, but there wasn't even a wayward space rock around. Eventually, the Blue Lion just drifted as the thrusters stopped. The Red Lion wheeled back around after accidentally traveling too far without them. Red's worry slammed through the bond before he could reassure anyone outside himself and Hunk.

"What's going on?" Pidge asked as Keith spoke over them to ask if they were alright.

"Blue's still pretty weak." Lance sat back in his seat, worry creasing between his brows. "Our bond is strained right now, too. The best thing we can do right now is float here for a while." Maybe, given some time to ponder the puzzle, they could figure out some other way to resolve this. Maybe meditation could reveal something to him.

"Red and I will stay on alert." Lance couldn't argue Keith's offer when they were getting caged in from all sides as the dark entities kept showing up all over the galaxy. He nodded and pushed his gratitude over their bond before getting up. He needed peace and quiet if he was going to focus.

Of course, there weren't a lot of places he could really go and be comfortable enough to meditate. The cockpit and nearby storage weren’t far enough away from the others to muffle their conversation. The bathroom was tiny, and the sleeping quarters was undeniably the wrong side of cozy with supplies and two hammocks hung up. There was no good place to sit on the floor, not when half of it was an uncomfortable grate to help with air flow and weight balancing.

Lance sighed, looking around himself for the comfiest bit of floor when Blue flickered into being next to him. She leapt up into Lance’s hammock and stared him down until Lance sighed and started to climb awkwardly into the hammock still in full armor. “I’m just going to fall out if I try to sit up for this.” To prove his point, the edge wobbled under his hand.

Blue blinked at him and laid down pointedly, her edges fuzzy and translucent. Flickering golden eyes watched him intently and Lance took the hint. He shooed her gently to make room for himself. She retreated as he carefully settled and leaned back carefully, listening to the faint hum of the Blue Lion on auxiliary reserves. Partially reclined and wriggling a little in his discomfort, Lance gave up and pushed up enough to fiddle with the clasps on his chest armor. It fell away and he set it over on Hunk’s hammock before properly settling in.

Blue climbed up onto his chest and nudged at the Castle Diamond under his flight suit. He pulled it out so she could settle comfortably on his chest, curled up tightly. He pet her slowly, holding the diamond in his other hand. It was relaxing to just lay like this and let his mind mingle so seamlessly with Blue’s. They didn’t share thoughts so much as the same existence.

He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but sleep came for them both.

There was nothing for it, really. A few days of travel and one of rest became their new pattern. Lance tried everything he could think of. Posing questions to the Altean Alchemy hidden inside him revealed nothing useful. Meditation alone, or with Blue, or with both lions and even Keith thrown into the mix changed nothing. Lance thought maybe the Diamond would do something like how it just worked in Oriande if he tried hard enough but it was more complicated than that.

Travel would have been easier if even half of the planets and moons they’d encountered weren’t already contaminated with dark entity vines.

As it was, Lance noticed he was better at attuning himself to how Blue felt, how tired she was, if she tried pushing too hard. He knew they were all desperate to get to Yellow, but it wasn’t worth the cost of Blue’s health. She always gave in at Lance’s gentle coaxing and Red and Keith were happy to guard the Blue Lion while the two rested. Lance noticed a week in that maybe it wasn’t just him being attuned to her, he also felt tired when she did.

He felt himself flagging now, but something tingled at the back of his neck, preventing him from calming. He couldn’t put words into what was off. He frowned a little and glanced over at Hunk who had settled against the side of the chair, dozing a little. He looked over to the Red Lion outside before reaching over to establish a link and call Keith.

He was there in an instant, like Keith didn’t dare let more than a few seconds pass before he answered Lance’s call. “You feel it, too?” He asked quietly, surprising Lance.

“Yeah… yeah, I do. I don’t know what it is, but I’m on edge.” He could feel the ache building in his shoulders from how tense he was. “We’re still on track for that moon, right? Off of Picadica or whatever.”

“Tyl’dican.” Keith corrected, his hands moving to adjust his starmap off-screen, Lance didn’t doubt. “And—”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“—Yes, we’re still on track. In fact, it should be dead ahead.” Keith frowned and looked back up at the view screens to observe the space around them. There was nothing there. The deep black of space winked back at them with tiny studded stars. “I don’t see shit.” He leaned out of view and after a moment Lance heard Pidge’s irritable grunt.

“Ow, Keith, what the hell.”

“Can you check for Tyl’dican with your—” he waved a little bit at Pidge which made Lance smother a laugh.

“It’s a whole planet, Keith. And we’re approaching its coordinates.” Pidge groused, standing and leaning into frame. They jabbed at the view screens and pulled up their program, grumbling under their breath. Their brows drew down the longer they worked. A tiny, irritated huff accompanied a sharp swipe of their arm that Lance could barely see. It took them longer than Lance thought for them to realize that the planet, that should be in view by now, wasn’t there at all. “Oh.” All signs of frustration melted away to make room for slack, horrified shock. “Oh, shit.”

“A planet doesn’t just disappear.” Lance argued, waiting for Pidge to fill them in on what could have caused this. There wasn’t even massive former-planet sized chunks of debris around to show where the planet had once been. It was like it had just evaporated from existence.

“I doubt the planet caused this, Lance.” Pidge sat on the armrest of Keith’s chair, their feet perched on the other to keep their balance. They had their own personal screens up and were quickly working, their hands almost a blur as they pulled up, read, and dismissed information faster than Lance could ever hope to follow.

“I’m not trying to blame the planet, Pidge, I just hoped that you had something to go off of beyond the super obvious.” Pidge didn’t rise to the bait and Lance leaned back in his seat, his gaze going past the screens to watch over space around him. Both Lions had slowed and now just drifted through space as they tried to figure out what to do. They were running lower on supplies than they’d like but there were so few planets in this quadrant of the galaxy and the handful of places they had encountered hadn’t been safe for one reason or another (the most memorable were a hostile faction of Galra and a planet that constantly rained acid).

Lance brought his hands up to his face, carefully rubbing at his eyes with gloved fingertips. The helmet was a little in the way, but he just needed to refresh what he was seeing because it looked like the black void in front of him was… wriggling. “...Keith…?” Lance frowned and leaned a little closer to the screens.

Keith also looked outside, his brows drawing tightly together as he tried to figure out what they were both looking at. Lance slipped into Blue’s consciousness a little, silently apologizing because he knew she was tired but he needed her superior eyesight on this one.

Lance swore as his gaze sharpened and showed just what he and Keith were staring at. He didn’t feel the HOTAS in his hands so much as he felt the body of the Blue Lion rear back in repulsion. Faintly, he could feel Keith and Red react the same way through their bond. The planet was definitely gone, and the moon they had planned on visiting was nothing but a writhing mass of enormous… limbs.

There were thorny vines mixed in with what looked like arms with grabbing hands, but they had too many elbows that rotated and twisted much like a ball and socket joint. The long, spindly fingers groped blindly around them in all directions. The constant motion of it had nausea rolling through Lance.

This was so far above and beyond their capability to handle. This was beyond what the Blade could handle. This wasn't something that could simply be researched, no knowledge to obtain within their grasp.

Lance inhaled, about to speak, when the moon of contorting blackness started to… open. Slivers of glowing yellow started to appear between the limbs, highlighting the grotesque shapes. For one heart-stopping moment, Lance thought they might be tearing the moon apart. The streaks of yellow slipped effortlessly around the base of the limbs, like lightning dancing across clouds, solidifying together in a single mass. The central light mass was so bright that the limbs underneath it were no longer visible.

The hair on the back of Lance's neck raised. He couldn't describe it, a kind of presence that weighed in him uncomfortably. It was like there was an electric charge in the air and everyone was holding their breath. The ‘eye’ flickered for a moment and Lance leaned forward in his seat as if it might give him a better view.

“Scatter!” Pidge cried, snapping Lance out of his focus. He hauled back on the HOTAS and pushed Blue to make a break for it. The Red Lion shot in the other direction and out of view. Lance didn’t wheel around to look back, didn’t dare look back. What could only be described as a vibration punched through Lance’s skeleton and the corner of the screens flared yellow-white.

The blast lasted for three seconds before dying away, the light from the beam wisping away like dust motes in a sunbeam, right where the Lions had been mere seconds before. If Pidge hadn’t noticed, they would have gotten caught in the entity’s energy cannon. Who knew what would have happened after they were incapacitated. They couldn’t stay here.

“Fuck, I’m gonna be sick.” Hunk pushed up and darted out into the living quarters. Lance couldn’t blame him as a wave of nausea roiled through his guts briefly as well.

“Can the Blade quarantine an entire quadrant?” Lance asked Keith weakly. They’d never handled anything this big before. He didn’t even think that this was a situation that could be handled and risking people’s lives like that still deeply unsettled him. But the Blade had left that kind of self-sacrifice far behind them in the years since the war ended.

Keith didn’t meet Lance’s gaze as the muscles in his jaw tightened. Lance’s stomach sank. The whole gesture was as damning as it was telling. “Keith.”

“Yeah, Lance. They can.” A stillness over their bond made Lance’s stomach swoop unpleasantly. “They… they already have.” Keith finally admitted. It had taken a long, dreadful pause to come out. Like it had to be drawn out of him by Red.

A whole quadrant. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest and he fought to draw his next breath through it. The Blade had quarantined an entire quadrant already and no one had told him. Worse, actually, Keith hadn’t told him. They were supposed to be a team and then he… did this. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Lance rasped, his throat already raw from the scream that was trying to claw its way out. “How long have… have you lied to me?”

How long had he not been doing enough? How many planets were ravaged to nothingness, families and lives lost with no one to remember them all? How badly had he messed up this time, how many people had he failed? He couldn’t feel his hands, but he could tell they were shaking from the cold stealing up his arms. Each panicked breath caught, likely on the knife that had to be sticking out of his back.

Why did he think he could protect those he loved when he couldn’t even save those who depended on him?

“Lance—” Keith’s voice rose to the surface over the rushing static in his ears. Lance drew his gaze from his hands gripping the HOTAS like a lifeline. Everything was blurry until he blinked. Keith’s face swam and then sharpened, the tiniest scrunch of his nose giving away that he was intending to say more than just his name.

Molten anger raced through Lance’s frozen veins and he closed his eyes again, the corner of his lip twitching as he held back a sneer. “Don’t patronize—”

“I’m not patronizing you, I’m— I’m trying to protect you!” Keith sucked in a breath to continue when Lance felt the hum in his bones again. Blue whipped around so they should get their sights on the ‘moon’ again.

"Protect me from how bad this is? I know how bad this is.” He didn’t. Fuck. He didn’t know it was this bad and how naive was that? He couldn’t stop the recriminations that surfaced and jostled each other, all fighting to horrify him the most. “You think the nightmares stopped just because I no longer wake up in the night screaming?" Lance grit his teeth and hardly spared a glance at Keith's hurt face. His eyes scanned the blackness, trying to find any sign of the wriggling mass. It had just… disappeared.

“Just because I’ve been living on Earth with my parents at the farm doesn’t mean I need to be protected from the horrors of the galaxy.” He had lived through plenty of those horrors not so long ago, with Keith and the others by his side. He didn't need to be coddled and protected. That Keith thought he did rankled. He couldn’t believe that Keith was right, not when it would tear through the foundation he’d built his strength on like wet tissue paper.

Lance didn't blame Hunk for not coming back out and at some point Pidge had made themselves scarce, too. He was barely managing to keep himself together. He and Keith hadn't really fought since Lance ran off to Oriande by himself. But that wasn't so long ago, was it? It just felt like it because so much was happening all at once. Less than half a year had passed.

Huh. His birthday must be coming up. And here he was spending it. In space. Frantically trying to reunite his chosen family to save them and the rest of the galaxy from evil. Again.

He really needed new hobbies.

A glitter of yellow-white at the corner of his eye had Lance shoving away the inane, intrusive thoughts and tightening his grip on the HOTAS. There was no way that Blue had the strength to use any weapons right now. It was tiring enough just to keep moving. Blue had been on her last reserves of energy to get here to rest, and now they had to make some kind of escape? He could feel her flagging, her exhaustion bleeding over into him, and he grit his teeth. They needed to think fast, they needed some kind of way to get out of this. If only he could mentally move faster, but he felt the strain from Blue through their connection.

Burning hot protective anger flared over the bond, startling him. His head whipped in the direction of the Red Lion, even though she was currently outside of his viewscreens. The blue-white light of a mouth cannon seared through the darkness of space, slicing a line along the moon as Red shot into view. Lance’s heart slammed up into his throat, stopping him from calling out to Keith and demanding to know what he was doing. It must have passed through their bond regardless, because Keith sent back a focused and determined calm.

“This conversation is not done, Keith.” He gritted out, wishing that he had a plan, an idea, anything!

There would be no fighting this thing. They needed to get away and fast but they had no way of creating a wormhole themselves. Unless. Lance yanked at the harness holding him in the pilot’s seat, tossing the straps aside as he raced into the back where Hunk was. He burst through the door, startling Hunk who was rinsing out his mouth.

“Lance?” He patted his face dry, his face pinched with worry.

“I’ve got an idea, but I need your help, buddy.” Lance yanked his helmet off and tossed it to the ground. “I gotta reach the White Lion. He can make us a wormhole to get out of here.” He bit the middle and index fingertips of his flight suit’s left glove to yank it off and pulled out the Diamond with the other. “But I need a strong connection and a little juice.” He spit out the glove onto the floor and yanked the other one off for good measure.

Hunk nodded, not quite following just yet but he took off the gloves and his helmet, too. “What do you need from me?”

“Skin contact and energy. This would work better with more people but Keith’s busy.” He shook his right hand out and reached up to clasp the back of Hunk’s neck, just above the neck of the flight suit.

“Pidge?” Hunk asked as he mirrored Lance’s position. His dark eyes were curious and Lance knew there were going to be questions after this, ones that were hard to answer.

Lance shook his head. “I can’t connect with them yet. I don’t think even if I could that I’d be able to tell if I take too much. Can’t risk that.” Hunk’s eyes were wide and Lance squeezed the back of his neck reassuringly. “I’ll protect you. Promise. Ready?” He knew he should warn Keith, tell Pidge, but there was no time. They had to do this now.

At Hunk’s jerky nod, Lance tugged him in closer and pressed their foreheads together. “Breathe with me,” he murmured, pushing into their bond. Now that he’d had practice, it took no time at all to find the echoing cavern in Hunk’s mind where Yellow once was. He drew Hunk out and into his own mindspace, and forward to Blue.

She was already so tired, and this would only make things worse and it made Lance’s heart ache just feeling it. Hunk squeezed his neck and a steadiness he didn’t feel seeped through him. He squeezed the Diamond in his hand, wishing he knew how to use it on purpose and just hoped that it would save him again this time.

He gathered Blue close in his mind, still holding Hunk tight, and cast out a line to Red. Lance wouldn’t dare disrupt Keith, but he knew that Red could absolutely share some quintessence and focus while Keith was piloting. He looked at Blue and Red in his mind’s eye, not sure how to continue. How do I…? How did you reach each other from so far away? In his mind’s eye, they sat before him, visible through a golden semi-transparent Hunk.

Red came up and dipped her head, pressing hard against his hip. He could almost feel the warmth of her in his physical body. Picture him, remember how his energy felt. Heat crackled through him as Red pushed her energy into him. She guided him as best she could, Blue joining her after a moment. If Red’s energy was a rope, Blue was a delicate thread, winding through it. With guidance, Lance added golden strands from Hunk, and a darker bluish-purple from himself.

He envisioned himself holding the rope in his hands and after taking a deep breath, tossed it out as far as it could go. It exploded out into a net of gossamer threads, spreading far and wide. He focused hard on every thread, waiting for one of them to attract what he was searching for.

They hung, suspended in his mind’s eye and motionless. Lance gripped Hunk tighter and urged the threads to reach further. More golden and blue-purple threads slid over the net as he pulled a little harder on their energy. If only he knew how to pull energy from the Diamond that he still clenched in his hand. He held it tightly in case it worked ambiently. They needed all the help they could get and with such a powerful untapped battery at hand? He had to try.

He felt Keith’s mind collide into his briefly before dark garnet threads wove through the net. Lance’s focus wavered, his worry for Keith’s safety rearing up and threatening to overwhelm him. Hunk’s hand squeezed his neck and his inner calm washed over Lance, soothing his figuratively ruffled mane.

Lance regained his grip on the net and urged it to continue spreading, hoping…

It snagged.

In all of a beat of his heart, Lance twisted and the net twisted back into itself, becoming a rope once more that shot out into the direction he needed. He could feel the brightness and warmth before he could even connect to the conscious.

White! Get us out of here! Niceties could happen once they were safe.

A familiar crackle of electricity skimmed over Lance’s skin and he pulled out of that meditative space as quickly as he dared. He helped Hunk settle on the floor and raced back to the pilot’s seat. The view screens didn’t disappoint, White’s visage waited before them with mouth wide open and a wormhole framed by his fangs.

“Keith! Wormhole, now!” He grabbed the HOTAS and steered the Blue Lion as quickly as he dared, knowing that Blue’s reserves were so incredibly low. They just needed to get through the wormhole before the damned Entity shot at them again.

“Incoming, brace!” Keith called. Lance barely had time to brace when the Red Lion collided with the Blue Lion, throwing them all through the wormhole. They spun together out into space, the wormhole closing quickly behind them.

As the White Lion’s mouth closed and the visage shrunk away to nothingness, so did their connection. Lance let go of his connections to the others slowly and uncurled his shaking hands from the HOTAS. He didn’t know how close their escape had been, as he’d been away from the firefight. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the details, but he absolutely felt a driving need to get his hands on Keith and Pidge and make sure they were okay. As soon as his legs responded.

“Where are we?” Pidge appeared in the viewscreen over Keith’s shoulder. They were squinting to look at the planet that had appeared before them.

“I don’t know.” Lance rasped, wincing at the sound of his voice. “But White thought this was the safest place for us. We need to land and rest. Resupply if we can.”

“See you planetside.” Keith confirmed.

Chapter 34: Safe

Summary:

They've landed somewhere safe, for now.

Notes:

I'm hoping to update again around Yule (the winter solstice) as my gift for everyone who has stuck around!

Chapter Text

When Lance finally stumbled down the ramp, Keith was waiting there to catch him. Their helmets smacked together lightly as Keith’s arms locked around Lance’s ribs and Lance threw his arms around his shoulders. Keith prodded at him gently through the bond like he was checking him over for new hurts and Lance huffed a laugh but sank into his embrace. Gentle warmth enveloped him as Keith continued to hold him with no sign of letting go anytime soon.

"We're a team." Lance grouched at him softly, still not letting go. He couldn’t see his face with their helmets in the way, but the little shuffle of his feet belayed Keith’s guilt at his words. It was impossible to miss with how heavily they leaned against each other.

“Hm?” Keith’s hum told of how he clung to feigned innocence, their helmets scraping together in a way that made Lance wince.

He pushed back, his hands gripping at the flightsuit over Keith’s shoulders. He shook him, or tried to, but Keith was a lot sturdier than Lance was at the moment. Keith’s hands supported his waist and Lance tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach when Keith swiped his thumbs over his ribs, just below the edge of the chest plate.

“I told you I wasn’t done with you.” Lance could barely get a teasing lilt to his voice. He usually could deflect with jokes, but this was different. “We. Are. A. Team. Keith.” He tried (and failed again) to shake him with each word. Keith’s dark brows furrowed in worry and Lance could see the tell-tale pout Keith would never admit to. He was deflecting from the horror of what he’d been told and instead clinging to this tiny part of it all. This tiny part, Keith lying by omission, he could handle. Mostly.

He couldn’t help the hushed, pleading tone as he said it again. "We're a team, Keith. You're my…"

His voice cracked and he licked his lips. "If I'm the fearless leader, you're my number one. I need you to not shelter me from… Blade stuff or whatever. If it's to do with the Dark Entity… Entities? It's my business."

"I'm sorry." Keith's voice cracked, too. He reached a hand up to lightly grip Lance’s elbow, but his gaze stayed focused hard around the vicinity of Lance’s collar bones. "You already have so much weight on your shoulders. I didn't want to add to your burden." The weight of responsibility, the weight of the lives they had saved, the greater weight of those they hadn’t…

"You don't get to decide that." Lance chided. Emotional exhaustion drained the heat that should have been there. He had been hollowed out by the knowledge, his edges left cracked and brittle. "It's not up to you alone to decide what's my burden and what's your burden, Keith. It's our burden, remember? We made a deal."

Keith inhaled sharply and bit his lip before nodding. "Scared together."

"Right. Scared together." He could handle this. He could be scared as long as he had Keith and the others with him. They had been through worse than this as a team. This wasn’t the first time they had lost people, people they knew and people they would never meet. He took a steadying breath. "So let's be together, Keith." He ducked his head a little, trying to get Keith to meet his gaze. The planet’s sun was starting to dip low, washing everything in red, including Keith’s face.

"Yeah. Together."

Pidge cleared their throat a little. Lance looked over to see them with their helmet under their arm, Kosmo carefully and sneakily trying to stick his nose up into it. “Air’s fine, guys. Let’s build camp.”

Keith pulled away, looking sheepish. Probably just embarrassed that Lance had gotten to do the leaderly lecture this time. He shuffled off to follow Pidge as Hunk came over to lightly bump shoulders with Lance.

“Great speech, man.” Although Hunk did still look a little green around the gills from the flight maneuvers earlier. He nudged Lance’s elbow with his own. “Very team leader-y. Shiro would probably tear up over it.” His mouth trembled the tiniest bit as if he was trying to hold back a cheeky grin.

Lance shoved him playfully, heat tinting his cheeks. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious.” Hunk said through a puckered grimace. All it took was a raised eyebrow from Lance for him to lose his personal battle. He chuckled and shot Lance a crooked grin, tossing an arm around his shoulders. Lance was happy to sink into his side a little, too. “Kinda cool you also worked in asking Keith out at the end.”

Lance’s shoulders jerked up into the vicinity of his ears. “What?! No! I did no such thing, Hunk!” It was too easy to fall into a back-and-forth like this and push everything else aside. He could focus on the good parts for now, and push the rest down until he couldn’t anymore.

“Really, it’s a shame that he’s just as oblivious as you and didn’t realize it for what it was.” Hunk’s grin was shit-eating now and Lance couldn’t shove him off hard enough.

“Jerk.” Lance yanked his helmet off to get some cool air on his suddenly flushed face. He stuck his tongue out when Hunk started to laugh.

“I’m not telling him, your secret is safe with me, man.” Hunk patted his shoulder and headed back into the Blue Lion, likely to look at supplies to fix up something to eat. He took a moment just to breathe. Hunk hadn’t heard the conversation, Lance was sure of it. He was a great guy, really supportive, but there was no way he would have been that relaxed and casual if he’d known what had come up…

He looked around, spotting Pidge and Keith talking as they cleared an area to set up the tent together. He should join in, he knew he should. He couldn’t make himself walk over. Not yet. He would just… stand here. Awkwardly. Maybe he should—

Kosmo trotted over and sat next to Lance, promptly giving him the distraction he didn’t realize he needed. He crouched a little to wrap his arms around the massive space wolf, happy to lean against him and just close his eyes. “You’re right,” he mumbled to him. “Dumb head, shouldn’t listen to it.” He just needed more distractions, more company. He reached out for Blue first. It was instinctual to go for her first, and Keith second. As obvious to him as breathing.

Blue was faint. It made his chest ache anew at how far she’d been pushed. Anything further and they might not have even made it here. Blue had been on her very last legs and now they would need to rest far longer than they ever had before. They didn’t have the time, nor could they not take that time. Every day they rested, the more antsy Lance knew he’d become without something else to focus on. He was painfully aware now how each day could be greater and greater losses of life. Kosmo whined a little and nudged at him. Lance let go, worried that he had hugged him too hard.

When he turned to Red next, it felt like she had been waiting for him. She was antsy, her touch to his mind crackling with her need to scope out the surrounding area. It wasn’t a bad idea. They had very little cover in the field they had landed in, but there were trees far off in the direction of the setting sun. They had been so focused on a safe, fast landing that they hadn’t done any reconnaissance.

As soon as the tent’s up, Keith and I will head out to explore the surrounding area. We don’t want to be caught out come morning’s light. Red shimmered into existence next to him. She butted her head against him in greeting before turning glowing golden eyes toward where Keith and Pidge were setting up the perimeter around the tent. She stood so still that she looked more like an image than a physical presence that Lance could touch. He reached out to pet her to reassure himself that she was really there.

“Kosmo can scout the land while you have the skies.” The wolf looked up at his name and chuffed, like he was agreeing to the plan. “I’ll take the first watch.” Pidge and Hunk were likely out of practice as far as scouting and watches, and frankly Lance was a little wired still. He wouldn’t be able to rest regardless of how tired he was. The two could share the middle watch, and Keith preferred his early mornings anyway. “How’s Blue?” He could hardly feel her.

Tired. Weak. Red shoved him with her shoulder when the guilt started to bubble up. None of that. You needed all of us to reach White. It would have been worse if you hadn’t.

“I know.” He still sounded bitter, still was. “I just wish I was stronger. For her. For you. It’s just not something I can magically get. I’ve asked hundreds of questions of these Alchemist’s marks and never gotten the answers I need.” A lot of the time, they had stayed completely silent. He still didn’t know the right questions to ask, it seemed. Which, bullshit, he’d been learning so damn much. Why couldn’t they teach him this? “I just… I hate letting you all down.”

You aren’t, kit. Red rumbled and firmly rubbed her cheek against his side so hard that he’d topple over if Kosmo wasn’t there to brace him. You’re doing your best and that’s all we could ask.

“My best isn’t good enough.” He wasn’t good enough.

Then it’s good that you aren’t doing this alone. She nipped at his flight suit and tugged him toward the now-erected tent where the others stood talking. Her eyes flashed challengingly at him. Let your Pride support you, kit. Stop picking up all the jugs when you only have two hands. Together, you have so many more.

Lance’s soft chuckle was wet and he wiped quickly at his face. “Okay, you have a point. Less jugs for me.” He shook his head, feeling silly, but glad that he had her support. He looked over at his friends and saw Keith already watching him. He smiled a little, his heart clenching in his chest when Keith smiled back. His fingers lifted in the tiniest wave, and Lance waved back before letting Red drag him over.

Lance startled awake feeling claustrophobic. He thrashed in his sleeping bag when he couldn’t move at first. Throat tight, he couldn’t breathe. His hands were pinned under him as he flailed with the restraining fabric. He felt surrounded by an avalanche or a cave-in or something—not that he had personal experience with either. The moment he got a hand free, he shoved himself up onto his feet by some miracle and hopped toward the doorway of the tent.

He burst through the door, stumbling out of the sleeping bag, and clutching his throat as he sucked in cool night air. He was shaking and sweaty and it was still so dark that he couldn’t see a damned thing. A soft noise behind him had him summoning his bayard to his hand, a faintly glowing sword materializing in his clenched fist.

Keith’s luxite blade, still in its dagger form, caught his instinctual swing and the man attached reached out and grabbed Lance’s forearm. “Hey… Lance, you’re okay.” His soft voice soothed Lance’s frazzled edges just the tiniest bit with only four words.

Keith’s glowing eyes locked onto Lance’s. He would have laughed at Keith’s little yelp when his knees gave out if he wasn’t still battling with how trapped he felt. Keith tucked him against his chest as his bayard dropped to the ground. Safe in the circle of his arms, Lance melted against him. He tucked his face into the crook of Keith’s neck and clung to him, focusing on Keith’s breathing and trying to pace himself to match. He knew the moment Keith figured it out, deepening his own breaths to help Lance slow even more.

“Nightmare?” Keith finally mumbled in askance, his own face pressed into Lance’s hair. Lance nodded into Keith’s shoulder, hugging him a little tighter. Keith rubbed slow circles into the tense muscles of his back, fingers digging in slightly in the best way. “Was it Yellow? Or Green?”

Lance shrugged a little, although his movements were a bit restricted from the firmness of the hug. “Dunno, it’s too dark. I can’t see them, can’t feel them. Everything is so close, crushing in from all directions.”

Keith’s hand stroked through Lance’s hair next, his claws lightly tickling his scalp. Ah, that explained the glow of his eyes. Lance curled a little tighter against him just because he could, because somehow in the dark, cool night, it felt like he could have this. Just a little bit. “What about…” Keith started but paused, huffing a little breath out his nose. Lance squeezed him a little to encourage him. “What about your other senses? In the dream, I mean. Any other clues?”

Lance didn’t say anything right away as he conjured what he remembered from the dream. “I don’t know... I don’t usually have all my senses in a dream.” He pulled back slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. He stared over Keith’s shoulder into the darkness. “But I have been able to feel temperature before, like with Red. So maybe I’m in my armor, with my helmet closed?”

Keith hummed low in his chest, his grip loosening to let Lance pull away. Lance didn’t go that far, not wanting to lose the connection. His eyes started to grow accustomed to the dark, but he still couldn’t see much around them. He caught Keith’s sleeve with his fingers and tugged a little in the direction of the small cleared area within the tent’s protective outer perimeter. Keith took the silent request and guided him over to sit down before sitting with him.

They sat back to back, leaning against each other. They’d done it countless times over their adventures. It meant both of them had optimal sight lines to their surroundings. But the danger wasn’t around them right now, it was in his mind. Lance tipped his head back against Keith’s shoulder, smiling a little to himself when Keith did the same. He knocked his head lightly against Keith’s and closed his eyes. Fiddling with the grass, he pictured the purply-pink blades between his fingers. He felt the warmth of Keith’s hand before their skin made contact, the two pinkies linking around each other.

“It’s wild, y’know.” Lance said out of nowhere. It’s so much easier to talk in the dark, when no one could make eye contact, when you couldn’t see their reactions. He felt Keith’s inquisitive hum through his back before he heard it. It made him smile. He didn’t know why, but it just… did.

“What is?” Keith asked after Lance had been quiet for too long.

“That I’m this. That we’re here.” He huffed a humorless laugh. “And that I’m the Lion Touched? Some prophesied being that has a connection with these powerful, magical, space entities? I’ve… never been anyone’s first choice.”

Keith tensed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “That’s not true.”

Lance hung his head forward and lightly squeezed Keith’s pinky with his own. “‘S fine, man, really. You don’t have to lie to make me feel better. I’m used to it, really. Growing up, my siblings were pretty close in age. Two boys, then two girls. And then I came along like an afterthought. Last pick for school dances, lab partners, hell, Paladin partners. You and Shiro were pretty glued to the hip when you could be, and Hunk and Pidge are the ultimate Dork Duo.” It’s said with ultimate fondness. He rubbed at his cheek and leaned away from Keith. He brought his knees up and wrapped his arm around them, but kept the other hand on the ground, his pinkie still twined with Keith’s. “It was really obvious when you were gone. Everyone paired off and I was… extra.”

Keith pulled his hand away and Lance mourned the loss for all of a second. Then the hand gripped his bicep as Keith tugged to turn him around. “Lance.” His mouth twisted, his features barely visible in the early-morning starlight. “Lance, you were my first choice.” The words were quiet and rushed and Lance wasn’t sure he even heard it right at first.

Lance blinked. “Wh-what?” He ignored the crack in his voice. “No way. You were always off alone ‘cause you couldn’t stand me.” Keith’s first choice? His first choice for what? He couldn’t possibly be saying what Lance’s frantically beating heart hoped he was saying.

“I was off alone ‘cause your stupid rivalry thing got on my nerves.” Keith huffed and it took a lot of Lance’s willpower not to find it endearing as hell. He rolled his still-glowing eyes, Lance able to follow the movement. “Where did that even come from?”

“Uh, what?” Lance squeaked. He had been grateful for the topic change. For all of half a second. “What rivalry thing?” His heart was going to burst out of his chest. Keith’s hand loosened and his fingers skimmed down his arm to rest loosely wrapped around his wrist. Lance swallowed around the anxious lump in his throat. He hoped that Keith couldn’t feel his pulse.

“Lance.” The flat tone made Lance look away. Well, what could it hurt? (Everything. It could ruin everything.)

He sighed and looked up at the stars so he didn’t have to meet Keith’s gaze. “I was… I was stupidly, overwhelmingly in love with you.” It was out now. Hanging in the air between them. And somehow, now, it was so much easier to continue. To keep talking. “And it was so painfully obvious to me, and Hunk, and Pidge, and eventually Shiro, that my constant need to one-up you or, like, at least be on your level was ‘cause I…” his voice broke and a nervous little giggle escaped him. He rubbed at his damp eyes with his free hand. “I was trying so hard to be good enough for you.”

He took a calming breath and risked glancing over at Keith. It was hard to tell, but Lance was pretty sure he looked shocked. “I-I’d convinced myself that if I was, maybe you’d notice me. And when you still didn’t…” He shrugged and cleared his throat, looking away again. “I’m used to having to be the loudest in the room to get attention. Big family problems. So, yeah, it might not have been the best way, but I did get it eventually. Your attention.”

Keith sucked in a shaky breath. “And do you… still…?”

Lance couldn’t stop the hysterical little whimper of confirmation that escaped him. He nearly missed the whine from next to him. Keith’s fingers lightly brushed his jaw, turning to face him. He barely had the chance to gasp before Keith’s lips pressed against his. They were cool and chapped and Keith held very, very still. Lance fought the little smile at how endearing that was, but it was too late, Keith was already pulling back.

He made an unhappy sound low in his throat at the loss. He grabbed for the front of Keith’s shirt. Reeling him back in, Lance watched him through his lashes as their lips met once more. Keith shivered against him with a tiny hitch in his breath that sent a fluttering warmth through Lance. Keith’s thumb rubbed little circles over the pulse in Lance’s wrist. The delicate movement had Lance melting against him. He shifted closer, slipping his hand up Keith’s chest to cup the back of his neck. He was determined to make this the best kiss Keith ever had.

One kiss melted into another, and then another as the world lightened around them. Lance lost time, suspended in this moment of bliss that he wanted nothing more than to savor. He burned to memorize it all—every touch and every shuddery sigh. The flutter of Keith’s long lashes over his cheek, the racing pulse in his throat under Lance’s palm, all of it. He had to hold on tight because what if he lost it?

Oh, fuck, what if he lost Keith? His stomach swooped, and not from Keith’s hands gently cupping his face or his thumbs stroking so sweetly over his cheeks. Lance shivered at the gentleness and didn’t dare stop kissing him. But as much joy as they brought, they couldn’t stop the icy creep of anxiety crawling up his spine and sinking deep into his bones. A maelstrom of happy and agonized emotions roiled through him suddenly and he squeezed his eyes closed even tighter to will away the burn of tears. It wasn’t fair. He’d only just gotten this and knew he couldn’t keep it. He couldn’t risk the distraction. And now he’d have to ruin the one thing he’d wanted for so long.

Lance pulled back and turned his head, lightly kissing Keith’s palm to cover up the tears threatening to gather. He had to give this up, he had to… he had to make Keith understand and he didn’t know how. Keith drew his face up, but Lance stayed angled downward, pressing their foreheads together. He didn’t want him to see the emotional battle threatening to tear him apart. Keith nudged their noses together fondly and Lance hoped the breathless little chuckle seemed more fond than distraught. He risked opening his eyes a little and saw the tremulous smile that quirked the corners of Keith’s mouth.

Keith took a breath, held it. Lance waited him out, knowing that silence was best. He tightened his arms around him just the tiniest bit, unable to remember when they had twined around his shoulders. “Out of everything in my entire life,” Keith murmured, stroking his thumb over Lance’s cheek, “falling in love with you was the easiest thing I've ever done.”

Lance’s stomach swooped again, as if the ground had been stolen out from underneath him. His throat clicked as he swallowed, frozen in Keith’s embrace and no longer looking at him. Of course. Of course he’d get what he wanted most just when he knew he couldn’t have it. He bit his lip and silently cursed himself for daring to think he could have this right now. For getting lost in his touch, in his kisses, and let everything else melt away until it was just them. His breath hitched as he opened his mouth to… to say something, to tell Keith he felt the same, to try and explain that they couldn’t do this right now.

The words were stopped before he could even make a sound as Keith opened their bond and shared his heart with him. Damn him, he never did anything by half, just rushed headlong into the situation and this was no different. Keith didn’t pull back the (beautiful, overwhelming, terrifying) explosion of emotions and memory fragments until he noticed how closed off Lance’s side of the bond was. (At least, that was Lance’s best guess.)

A tear escaped and trailed down to Keith’s thumb. The bright, eager grin faded as worry took over and Keith stroked his thumbs over Lance’s cheeks once more, wiping the tears away. “Lance…?”

A wounded sound escaped him and he placed his hands over Keith’s keeping them right where they were. Keith tipped his chin up and Lance looked up into Keith’s dark eyes. It was a brutal double-whammy between seeing the worry and hurt on his face and feeling it through the bond. It didn’t help that Lance didn’t even know how to begin to explain. He could feel himself tearing apart over his conflicted feelings and it hurt so much more than suffering his feelings in silence to know that Keith felt it too.

“I-I can’t…” He closed his eyes, fresh tears spilling. He couldn’t bear to watch Keith’s heart break. His throat already felt raw as he whispered. “We can’t do this. Not now.”

“No.” Keith growled and pulled him into a firm kiss. Lance clutched his hands tighter, returning Keith’s stubborn determination but easing it out, gentling it into something slow and languorous. “Lance, please.” Their lips brushed once more. And again. Tender and bittersweet and everything Lance had wanted and more.

“After.” Lance promised, pulling Keith’s hands from his face. “We can’t risk being distracted. There’s so much going on and I am terrified of messing it up, of losing someone important—” he stopped abruptly at the lump in his throat. He closed his eyes, his face crumpling as he turned away. “Again.” Keith gasped softly and his hands dropped, falling from Lance’s grip. Lance’s chest seized up and icy fear that he’d messed this up just by alluding to Allura hurt more than he could ever say.

Keith inhaled shakily, each slight waver like a knife to Lance’s heart. “You promised to be scared together.” And the finishing blow.

“This is different.” The next few tears burned down his cheeks as he tried to blink them away. His hands shook as he braced and pushed himself back.

“Bullshit.” Keith’s hands flexed as if they wanted to grab him and keep him from running. “That’s such bullshit. Scared together is better than scared alone.”

He stood, stumbling back as if he were afraid that Keith would grab him again. “Please, just… After. We’ll save the day, like always, and then… then we’ve earned a happily ever after, right?” His voice broke on the last word and he had to keep moving. He couldn’t stop now or he might never start again.

Lance.” Keith pleaded, but Lance was already turning away and retreating. He could hide in the tent. He could curl up in his sleeping bag and pretend to be asleep with Pidge and Hunk. Keith would stay outside on his watch, duty-bound to keep them safe. “Lance!” It wouldn’t hurt as badly, this way, he promised himself. When he inevitably failed the person he loved, it wouldn’t hurt as bad if they weren’t together. If they hadn’t gotten the chance.

Chapter 35: Visitors

Summary:

They weren't the only ones on this planet.

Notes:

Merry Yule! An early gift for you all 💜

Chapter Text

Lance woke to his head throbbing in time with the ache in his chest and the smell of Hunk cooking something good. He didn’t need a mirror to know his face was a mess from crying, the tender puffiness around his eyes told the tale well enough on its own. Ugh. He’d always been an ugly crier, too. He peeked out from under his blankets to see if he was alone in the tent. He just… he wasn’t up for running into Keith yet.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked over at Kosmo when the wolf lifted his head. He whined and his ears canted back, before putting his head down on his paws. Lance frowned, wondering what was upsetting the wolf. He shoved the blankets off and slid off the cot to kneel next to him. “What’s wrong, bud?”

The wolf didn’t answer, but he did sit up and press against Lance insistently. Lance wrapped his arms around Kosmo and hugged him tightly, gasping when they were both teleported into the Blue Lion. “Uh.” Well, at least he had wanted to be here? He’d left all his skin care on the Lion and after last night, his face really needed some TLC. Maybe Kosmo had sensed that. “Good boy.” He ruffled Kosmo’s ears with both hands, smiling the tiniest bit when the wolf started to wag his tail.

Lance stood and rubbed his face with both hands before grabbing everything he needed to get ready for the day. He probably should have been wearing his armor, as much as he was enjoying the freedom of wardrobe choices. A few minutes, his favorite face wash, and a little bit of makeup to hide the bags under his eyes later, Lance felt ready to face the day. Ready enough, at least.

He carried the chest armor under one arm, the helmet tucked inside. His back was stiff and the armor wasn’t exactly conducive for stretching out. He didn’t need to be fully armored up first thing, or so he hoped. He’d put it on after breakfast. Probably.

Kosmo trotted along by his side, his ears perked, tail high, and alert. Lance had no doubt that he was either guarding Lance or looking out for Keith. And Lance… wasn’t ready to see Keith just yet. He didn’t think he would have much of a choice, but he needed time. Just a little time, before having to face him again. The hurt was too raw.

Together, they walked across the field from the Lions to their little campsite. Hunk was crouched in front of a cookfire, stirring something, when he looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly at Lance. Lance frowned, not expecting such scrutiny so early in the morning but gave him a squinty look right back. Two could play that game.

“Nightmares?” Hunk asked apropos of nothing and passed him a plate.

Lance hummed noncommittally and plopped down on the grass (as far as he could from where he’d sat last night), before taking the offered plate. “No good clues, yet.” Not any that seemed to lead them to anything conclusive. They weren’t close enough that she could try talking to him through the dream either. At least he still had Yellow’s string around his finger. He couldn’t see it, but they were close enough now that he could feel it gently tugging him in the right direction.

“We’ll find her.” Hunk assured him with a smile. His warm brown eyes darted up to a point behind Lance, who did his best not to tense at the presence behind him. (He failed. Miserably.)

Lance hunched over his plate a little, eating whatever pale green, fluffy, starchy goodness it was that Hunk had concocted. It was filling, delicious, and easy to eat with his fingers. The best kind of morning camp food. It was an excellent distraction as Keith sat to eat (exactly where he’d sat early this morning, Lance’s traitorous mind supplied).

He focused so hard on his plate and consuming the food on it, that he barely noticed he’d finished. He set the plate down and glanced over at Pidge, about to make a joke about something, anything, when he froze. He couldn’t see what it was, but he knew something was there. It was akin to seeing something out of the corner of your eye, or when someone hovered their hand just over your skin and you could feel the warmth from their body.

“Someone’s here for me.” He’d spoken before he even realized it, and he knew it was true. If hard pressed, he wouldn’t be able to describe the feeling but it was distantly comparable to the lions, to Allura, to the Diamond. A strong, humming… presence? Energy? He couldn’t find the right word.

Keith was on his feet, both bayard and Luxite blade in hand, a second after Lance spoke. Lance would roll his eyes if he wasn’t so flattered by it. He stood as well, lightly waving Keith off without looking at him. Lance turned unerringly to face the direction of the feeling and soon enough, a slight figure stood up from the taller grasses that surrounded their camp to greet them.

The first word that came to Lance’s mind to describe them was ‘centaur’, the second (and third, and fourth) was ‘furry, cat-like caterpillar’. They had eight paw-like feet, with two pressed together before their fluffy belly. The other pairs all stood on the ground. They had fine, silky fur in purples and blues, which helped them blend into the colorful foliage around them.

Their wide, double set of eyes looked to Lance first, lingering, before quickly flicking over to the others. The silvery eyes returned to him and locked on. Their voice was soft and whispery, despite no visible movement of a mouth at all. “We have come seeking the Lion Touched.”

Lance opened his mouth to speak when Keith interrupted, stepping up beside him. “What business do you have with the Lion Touched?” He still held his weapons in a guarded position. Lance knew Keith wouldn’t put them away unless Lance ordered him to stand down.

“Knowledge.” The alien cocked their head slightly, their large, double-notched ears perking forward a little more. “We have much to share with the Lionet and his Pride.” They bowed slowly, but kept their eyes locked on Lance. He found himself studying their pupils, which looked like four pointed stars. The prolonged eye-contact made them swell, rounding out a little.

Lance held a hand out to keep Keith back as he stepped forward. “I’m Lance,” he placed the hand he’d held Keith back with over his heart, “the Lion Touched. And you?”

They straightened from their bow. “We are Lorhu.” Their tail flicked behind them and their eyes squinted up a little in what Lance assumed was a smile. “Welcome to Palldoh, Lionet, and Pride.” They nodded to Lance, then the others, in turn.

“Thank you, Lorhu.” Lance bowed a little in return, trying to be polite. The Palldohi’s eyes widened a little at the gesture and a curious little chitter sound escaped them. Lance winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, was that… rude?”

Lorhu shook their head vigorously, their ears flopping about a little as they did. “Not at all, Lionet Lance, it is an honor to be held in such regard.” Their ears perked up and they straightened their shoulders. “We would like to invite you all to our home. There is much knowledge to impart, and not much time to do so.”

Lance hesitated and looked over at the Lions, their eyes dim. They were both resting after their long journey. He knew that Red could fly them wherever they needed to go, but Blue was far too weak. “We’re not fit to travel. Blue was injured badly by the Dark Entity not too long ago and is still recovering.”

A soft, distraught trill came from the Palldohi. “We are most sorry to hear that, Lionet. Please,” they bowed again, this time just their head. “Allow us to assist in transporting the Lions’ vessels.”

Lance nodded. He wasn’t sure what it would entail, but he did feel like he could trust Lorhu. He turned to the other Paladins and smiled warmly, exuding a confidence he didn’t entirely fe. “Let’s break camp.” Hunk nodded gamely and Pidge shrugged and continued to eat their breakfast. Keith looked hesitant, the tiniest frown tugging at his lip. Lance sighed to himself, too fondly, over Keith’s reluctance. So much for keeping his distance for now.

“Keith.” He said, voice low as he stepped close to him, tipping his head to the side a little, intent on catching and holding his gaze. “Talk to me.” Keith stood very still, his eyes unwaveringly focused on Lorhu. Lance swore he could see the tenseness ticking his shoulders up incrementally. “Hey…” He murmured, shifting so he was between Keith and Lorhu to break the line of sight.

Keith’s hand curled around his wrist and squeezed gently, his eyes finally meeting Lance’s gaze. It’s too perfect, too much coincidence. He didn’t even need to speak for Lance to understand his worries. Keith released his wrist so his hand could slip into Lance’s and thread their fingers together. Lance’s eyes widened, not expecting that. He raised an eyebrow at Keith, but got nothing further from his expression.

He squeezed Keith’s fingers and was rewarded with a slow sweep of Keith’s thumb over his. The riot of butterflies in his stomach made it hard to think around. The corners of Keith’s eyes crinkled the tiniest bit and warmth flooded him. Was it from his feelings or their bond? He couldn’t tell at all. He started to step closer before he caught himself. Already failing at what he’d promised himself last night? Over hand-holding? Get a grip, Lance!

“Gut feeling, Keith.” He murmured, pulling his hand away with an aching reluctance. “More than that, actually.” He could almost feel Lorhu through the bond with the lions. There was almost a similar… resonance—albeit much fainter. He reached carefully for their bond, not wanting to risk feeling everything Keith shared with him last night. But it felt as it usually did and not rife with… Lance cleared his throat softly and guided Keith to the feeling that Lance felt coming from Lorhu.

Keith hummed, his head tipped down, like he was still looking at Lance’s hand.

Lance crossed his arms over his chest. “Keep watch if you wanna, man. I’m helping the others break down camp.” He forced his legs to move and walked away with the feeling of Keith’s gaze burning into his back.

Lance had mentally prepared himself to walk a fair distance. It wasn’t like they could see anything akin to any sort of settlement or village from their camp. They hadn’t even seen anything when they were landing the evening before. Blue chuffed against his chest in her sleep, bringing him out of his thoughts. Lance brought his hands up to stroke along her back where he felt her spine pressed against the sling.

He had gotten it from the Blades before leaving their care and he couldn’t thank them enough. It settled him to feel her so close. Not to mention it would be easier to protect her like this. He stood next to the Blue Lion, his chest armor propped up against the Lion’s paw with the helmet inside. Red sat next to him, her tail curled protectively around his leg while she shot very pointed looks at Keith.

Lance had no idea what was happening between them and, frankly, didn’t want to get involved.

Lorhu approached, their eyes squinted in what Lance assumed was happiness. Their paws were clasped over their belly and something between them glowed. “Lionet,” they nodded in deference, “if you and your Pride are ready? We have been cleared to Snap.”

Snap? Blue asked curiously, her voice a reedy whisper in Lance’s mind. He wrapped an arm around her, cradling the back of her head in his hand. She arched into it the tiniest bit and Lance reflexively stroked the top of her head with his thumb. Her ears flattened to the sides a little to make room as he stroked from between her eyes to the back of her head in slow, even strokes.

Lance nodded to Lorhu after looking over to the other Paladins, each nodding that they were ready. “We’re ready, Lorhu.”

The Palldohi flung their paws high and wide, the light exploding over them to create a bubble around the Paladins, Lions, and all. Lance squinted against the bright flash. He blinked the dots away as his ears popped and, well. They were in a completely different field, with a massive glittering bubble arching over them made of iridescent hexagonal panels.

Around them were vehicles of various sizes, all riots of color like everything else they had encountered so far on this planet. It reminded Lance of a kaleidoscope filled with little bits of glitter and beads. He’d never seen anything so colorful that looked purposeful and harmonious like this did. It was fascinating. He wanted to snoop, check out all their different ships and see how they worked.

Glancing over to Keith, he knew that he had the same urge. There was no mistaking that particular glint in his eyes.

“This is where we shall leave the frames.” A good term for them that Lance had never considered before. It was certainly a lot easier than calling the robotic forms and the hard-light projections both ‘lions’. “They are… too grand to fit in our main city.” Lorhu ushered them to a platform hidden in the grass. It had the same hexagonal pattern, albeit much smaller. The platform started to glow, individual hexagons lighting up to create an intricate pattern beneath their feet. Some of the motifs reminded Lance of the temple on Oriande and raised even more questions.

Multicolored beams of light shimmered up from the edges of the platform. Lance turned in a curious circle, watching how it interacted with the platform. As the light dimmed, Lance looked up and felt his breath leave him in awe. Around them was what he could best describe as a massive cavern filled with glowing crystals. Gigantic crystals of all colors, crystals that looked to be buildings. Businesses and homes and everything. Beautiful winding pathways curled in and out of everywhere, and vehicles flew around everything with practiced ease.

Their platform sat along one of the walls, halfway between the ceiling and floor. He turned to Lorhu, trying to find the words to describe the beauty before him. He opened his mouth, then closed it, the words completely gone. Pidge breathed a soft ‘wow’ behind him. That about summed it up for him, too.

“Welcome to Orrz, Lion Touched.” Came a voice from their left. Another Palldohi stood just off the platform, their deep blue fur decorated in a multitude of faintly glowing beads. They were all kinds of colors, and organized in a way to create designs that also reminded Lance of Oriande. A gossamer scarf was draped over their head and lightly wrapped around their neck and shoulders. It sparkled like the night sky. “And welcome to your Pride. We are Padhi, the Prime Elder of the Order of the Prismatic Lion. We are honored with your presence.” They bowed low to Lance, and then again to Red. Blue poked her head out from the sling and Padhi gasped in delight before bowing again.

Lance bowed a little to Padhi, and both lions nodded to them. “Thank you, Prime Elder Padhi. Orrz is… beautiful is not enough to describe it.” He introduced himself and the Paladins next, knowing that all of them would prefer being addressed by their names. The attention was flattering, and Lance loved it, but he might not remember all these titles and he’d hate to be rude.

“Lionet Lance, please follow me.” Padhi waved gracefully toward one of the bridges that would lead them off the platform. “We have prepared a space for you and your Pride to rest.”

Lance walked next to Padhi, Red on his other side. He could hear Pidge and Hunk whispering excitedly behind them as they looked around the underground city. Lorhu walked with them, happily answering the questions they had answers to. Lance only caught snippets, something about them moving below ground with their cities to preserve the flora and fauna above.

He glanced back and caught Keith’s gaze. He followed the group from the back, his gaze flicking around them as he acted as a rearguard. Lance reached out mentally and tugged on their bond, sending Keith calm and comfort and reassurance. He swore he felt the force of Keith rolling his eyes at him. He chuckled softly to himself and looked to his companion. “Prime Elder Padhi, please tell me more of your Order. I’ve never heard of it in all my travels.”

Padhi hummed solemnly and nodded. “We have secluded ourselves for the last fifteen thousand deca-phoebs. That is enough time to be forgotten by the universe, no matter our role in it before.” There was more to it than that, Lance’s gut told him. The sadness in the Palldohi’s eyes spoke in volumes that Lance didn’t yet know the language for.

Lance burned with questions as to why they secluded themselves so long ago. That had been over five thousand deca-phoebs before the Galran War began. What could have possibly prompted it? And how terrible could it have been, to still bring such pain to those who lived now? A burbling sound next to him halted his thoughts.

“I will gladly share our far-past history with you, Lionet.” Pahdi spoke softly, almost conspiratorially. Lance glanced over his shoulder at the others, but they were all distracted by their own pursuits of understanding. “But let me start closer to the beginning.” Padhi’s dark eyes glittered and they spread their paws, light glittering from nowhere to help illustrate their story. “In the beginning, there was nothing but quintessence. Pure, raw energy with no guidance. As time passed, some of the quintessence collected itself and Awoke. The Prismatic Lion breathed, and cosmic dust was formed.”

Before Lance, the glittering lights formed into a beautiful lion made of shifting colors. Around their head floated a mane that formed and disappeared, giving the lion the appearance of both sexes as he knew them. It was absolutely wild that there were lions on Earth and their imagery was all over the universe. Immortal cats indeed. He wondered if every planet had lions in one way or another. If the universe was truly created by the Prismatic Lion, he didn’t see why not. Creating life in their own image and all that.

“The Prismatic Lion circled their domain and gave the universe its spin. In their wake, planets and stars gathered and life began.” The lights swirled and danced before them. Lance was entranced. “They roared and the universe expanded. Grew. And then the Prismatic Lion split themselves into the Great Pride of the Cosmos.” Ten colored lions spilled around them and Lance gasped, recognizing the forms of six of them.

“The Pride you, yourself, now belong to, Lionet.”