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autisticlancemcclain · 1 year ago

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The ship was shaking like a kid holding a goldfish bag.

It was not, in case you were wondering, a good time.

Keith grit his teeth, planting his boots on the ground and half-walking half-climbing over to Allura, who was paler than Keith had ever seen her. The grip she had on her podium was tight enough to drain the blood completely from her knuckles. Despite his own fear, Keith’s heart softened for her.

“How is it looking?” he asked, shouting over the noise of a thousand asteroids and a million laser strikes. All while their lions sat, drained of quintessence, locked in their hangars

One goddamn thing after another. Jesus.

“It is looking bad,” Allura shouted, not taking her eyes off the space in front of her. “I can’t – Coran, I can’t hold it on my own!”

Coran looked back at her grimly. He had probably the most success keeping upright – seriously, was it posture or did he have a steel rod anchored to his back at all times – but even he was struggling against the whipping and shuddering of the massive castleship, attention focused on the controls. Trying to keep the shield up as well as possible, trying to get their own defenses running. Trying, as always, to keep the castle going, even when the odds were a million to nothing.

“You can,” he encouraged. The effect was less encouraging when a massive asteroid hit the side of the bridge point-blank, throwing him right off the controls and splat into the walls. Despite Lance and Allura’s cries of alarm, he made a startlingly dignified crawl back to the deck controls.

Hell of a man, that advisor.

He continued once he was steady, sweat beading on his brow but gaze soft and assuring. He waited for Allura to meet his eyes, then nodded, once. “Focus, girl. Hands on the spheres. Mind cool on the exhale. However we need to get out of this – you can guide us. Make your decision. Your team is behind you.”

“Yeah!” Pidge cheered, lifting her fist in emphasis from where Shiro held her steady, eyes trained on her computer screen. Blaring red lines of code Keith could not pretend to read flashing rapid speed in front of her, and she typed back at it just as fast, keeping their crackling systems at bay. “You got this!”

Allura breathed out. The tense line of her shoulders softened, just slightly, despite the ongoing chaos. She lifted her hands and rested them, gently, on the podium spheres as Coran instructed. They glowed.

“We retreat,” she decided, nodding to herself. “We’re already low on quintessence, standing to fight will drain us dangerously. We must get to safety if we are to survive with our home intact.” She bit her lip, eyes opening. “But, uh, full disclosure, I have enough strength in me to open a wormhole and that is About It. I will be out of commission the moment it closes.”

Hunk shrugged. “We’ll catch you, then.”

“Try not to wormhole us into a black hole,” Shiro suggested, smiling slightly. “We’ll manage anything else, Princess.”

She laughed slightly, thankfully, but within seconds called out for everyone to brace themselves. Keith did as she heeded, or he tried to – but the castle got hit as he tried to crawl back to his seat, sprawling him on the floor. He glanced over at Allura, panicked, but her eyes were already glowing, and the space in front of them was already starting to warp. He swallowed roughly, squeezing his eyes shut. The floor was shaking too badly for him to get his bearings. He couldn’t get his feet under him, couldn’t stand, couldn’t dream to crawl to his seat. He stilled, resigning himself – he didn’t know exactly what would happen if he wasn't strapped down and protected during a wormhole jump, but it couldn’t be good. He had to hope for the best.

“God,” sighed a voice to his left, “you’d die without me, Dropout.”

A hand clenched the back of his jacket and yanked, pulling him tumbling onto another body. Quick as lightning a seatbelt was stretched over him, clicking into place just as the space in front of the castle finally warped, bright blue, and the entire bridge lit up so bright Keith was blind with it.

When the light finally died down, Keith was half-convinced nothing had changed. The castle stopped shaking, but instead it was plummeting, hard and fast, controls dead and energy gone, towards the surface of a planet.

“Someone catch Allura!” Coran shouted, and on queue the princess’ eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped forward. Luckily, Hunk had been more prepared than the rest of them, seatbelt already off and arms extended to catch her. He carried her back to her seat, buckling her in carefully, and strapping himself in next to her. Wise move – trying to crawl back to his own seat, fighting against the G-forces, would be near impossible.

There was a click, and then a shove, and then Keith got to feel those G-forces firsthand.

“What the hell!” he demanded, barely managing to catch himself on the arm of the blue paladin’s seat. “I coulda brained myself!”

Lance shrugged, playing for innocent, but a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. Keith could’ve strangled him. “What? Thought I’d let you get back to your own chair. You're welcome for saving you, by the way.”

“Some saving, jerk! We're still falling!”

“Yeah. Personally, I would find somewhere to buckle up.”

“You’re so annoying,” Keith growled, and it was by spite alone that he managed to stomp back to his own seat and buckle himself in. He was bright red, anger making him hot – Lance always made him like this, so furious he could barely blink. One day they’d be making progress, working together like a dream, wiping the floor together, and the next it was like a switch was flipped. Like Lance was reminding himself that he and Keith could never get along. It was ridiculous, and Keith couldn’t for the life of him understand it. Was he so bad?

“Incoming!” Pidge shouted, shaking Keith back to himself. Her screen was now linked up with Coran’s, the only two things on in the entire castle – electronics seemed to come alive when Pidge touched them – and diagrams of the castle systems were blaring red, flashing with symbols Keith didn’t know, but recognised as bad. “The nav and power systems are down! It’s not safe to get anyone back there to force them back on manually, but I think I can get steering up in a sec. Shiro, I need your arm for power. Hunk, keep on Allura, make sure she’s upright when we crash, we don’t want a spinal injury. Lance, Keith, I’m turning steering over to you guys. Don’t fuck it up.”

Despite their bickering, both of them nodded. Neither of them particularly wanted to be turned into paladin pancake anytime soon, so they could collaborate for one thing.

Seconds after Pidge spoke, a screen flickered to life in front of Keith. Stats blinked back up, glitching rapidly as they translated themselves into words and symbols Keith could understand. The hologram shifted and expanded to its usual 3D model, joystick in the middle, thrusters and controls to his left, a screen with Lance’s comm line to his right. In his little screen, Lance met his eyes, eyebrows raised in question. Keith nodded. Together, they wrapped their hands around the joysticks, breathed out, and let their minds fuse.

As always, it was a freaky feeling. Imagine the weird, shuddery feeling you get when you say the same thing as someone at the same time, voices layering, tone mixing, for a moment your own voice and the voice of a stranger synching into one. The weird, deja-vu-but-not of it, the uncanny valley feel of recognising your own voice but…different.

Then multiply that freakiness by a hundred, and you still won’t quite get it.

On some levels Keith was aware that he was his own person. He knew his name, knew his hands, knew his history – or well, some of it. Nothing about himself had changed.

But at the same time, he was also Lance Esposita-McClain. He knew his name, knew his hands, knew his history, more of it than he could ever get from shared stories or mind melds. There’s no telling the way your sister’s arm feels hooked around your neck for the sixth noogie in as many minutes. There’s no explaining the way your breathing only gets calm with your feet in the saltwater. There’s no describing the curve of your mother’s smile. Nothing Keith was seeking out – no memories he would even know to look for – but they were there, simmering, triggered by a smell or the crook of his finger in a particular way. Memories stored in the body and the soul and the senses, not in the brain, shared when two consciousnesses become one.

Lance’s mind was hyperspecific. It complemented Keith’s well, with all his flitting, quick detail-oriented observance. As Keith jumped from angle to angle, noticing the planet’s curve, the pull of its gravity, the heat of its atmosphere, Lance zeroed in on an island, one of the only ones big enough for them to land. While Keith kept their craft in control, steering along the air currents, Lance kept them directed, single-minded focus on a stretch of rocky beach – not exactly a soft landing, but not a lot of living things for them to destroy when they crash. (Keith would’ve chosen to land in the meadow. Crushing frogs and bugs or whatever is never something on his top priority list of things to avoid. But he didn’t argue when Lance nudged them towards what is about to be a very bumpy landing.)

“Brace yourself!” he shouted, not daring to look away to make sure his friends were buckled. Trusting that they were, he held his position, letting them plummet, coming closer and closer to splatting on the planet’s surface before finally yanking on the joystick as hard as he could. He felt Lance’s strength twist and tangle with his own, and together the two of them levelled the castle almost parallel with the ground, letting them glide on their own velocity until they slowed down enough to let the bottom of the craft brush against the rocky outcrop.

It was the most turbulent landing Keith has ever felt, except maybe that time he and Lance crashed blindfolded into a sand dune, and every bump on the ground gave him whiplash. When the castle finally hit the ground for good, dragging them a gauge in the ground for several miles as friction finally slowed it to a stop, the leftover inertia yanked Keith forward so roughly the buckles of his seatbelt made something crack in his ribcage. When the castle finally stopped he got slammed back into his chair so hard he was almost surprised he didn’t fall right through the impenetrable material.

It took a minute for everything to hit. His connection with Lance had been severed the second they hit the ground, too focused on being, y’know, crashed to keep holding on. After the shock of being tossed around like dice in a cup wore off, which did not take long, Keith’s body made it very clear that yeah, no, armour actually only does so much, and crash landing is one of those things that’s just bound to hurt. His skull pounded. At least one of his ribs was most definitely cracked. His wristed and knuckles ached from the strain of holding up the entire weight of the castle as he’d steered it. He was alive, obviously, but – Jesus. Being alive sucked.

“Sound off,” croaked Shiro from somewhere left of him.

“Ugh,” groaned Pidge. “Screw you, Keith, I hate it when you drive.”

“Next time I’ll be sure to let us crash,” Keith responded flatly.

“Um, you did, bozo, I asked you to land us –”

“The castle was dead! What did you expect me to –”

“Allura and I are both fine,” Hunk interrupted. Amusement lined his voice. “She’s still out, but she’s breathing fine, and I didn’t let her hit anything on impact. She should still get checked out, though.”

“Roger that,” Coran agreed. “Ease your worries, Number Two, you did well. I will have her in the MedBay as soon as our systems are up and running again.”

“Oh, whew, that’s a relief, because I didn’t want to say anything but she kinda jammed her elbow into my sternum by accident and I’m not blaming her or anything since she’s unconscious but I think my spleen may be a little dead, not a huge deal I’m sure but –”

“Everyone quiet!” barked Shiro. “That’s six accounted for! Who’s missing?”

Immediately, heart pounding, Keith whipped to his right. His stomach dropped. The Blue Lion Command Chair was empty – seatbelt torn somewhere on the shoulder, cracked helmet overturned carelessly on the seat. The crisp blue and white lines were marred by a small splash of red. Panic clawed its way up Keith’s throat, and he was out of his seat before he could register unbuckling his own straps, looking frantically around the bridge.

“He’s here somewhere,” Pidge fretted, “he couldn’t’ve just disappeared –”

Coran had a gloved hand clenched in his hair. “The windows and walls should be almost impenetrable, there is no way the crash broke them enough to let someone in –”

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck –”

“Guys,” a soft voice interrupted, and Keith could’ve collapsed with relief. The castle has been flipped sideways during the fall, floor suddenly now 90 degrees, and standing at the side of the control board, now the very high top, was Lance. For whatever reason he had climbed it while they bickered, and now stood very still, gloved hand pressed to the glass of the windshield. Blood trickled from his temple, tracing a line down the side of his face, disappearing in the neckline of his armour. “We got company.”

Shifting gears – Keith was about to tear him a new one, when Shiro says sound off you sound off – but froze when he looked out the window, following Lance’s gaze.

Marching towards them, in numbers Keith couldn’t pretend to count, was an army.

— — —

part two

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leajoyrambles · 5 months ago

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Idk but I sorta felt like the entire earth arc was such a waste in some ways.

Like in many ways, throughout the series, Earth has become a ghost story. To those left behind, the Paladins are all but dead, but to the Paladins, the people they remember are amorphous, otherworldly, alive in some ways but dead in others.

To Lance and Hunk, they haven’t thought of how time passes. They’re both afraid of how they’ve changed, but they haven’t realized how much their families have. Haven’t let themselves realize, really.

Shiro cut his ties with earth, so to speak. He never really believed he was going back. This isn’t a dream come true for him. This is just another impossible thing, just as important and impersonal as any other mission.

Pidge is a strange case. She never believed the people out there were dead, and she’s seen some of her family, some of her ghosts, more recently than the others. And they’ve seen her. There’s a sense of connection there that the others don’t have.

As for Keith, he has nothing to return to. No one is grieving him, and the only ghost he left behind is a grave. He’s not going home. He found home in space. With the Paladins in the Castle, with the Blade in secret, and in the Quantum Abyss with Krolia.

For the Alteans, Earth is nothing but a story. To Krolia, a planet to house her little place of peace. Not home, certainly.

Home is a prison and a graveyard, as far as Romelle is concerned. Home means combat training and artificial light and tradition to Krolia. To Coran, it’s a bittersweet memory. To Allura, a gaping hole in her chest.

just. idk. something something a house is what you haunt and home is what haunts you. or whatever.

#ramblings #meta #voltron legendary defender #vld meta #keith kogane #lance mcclain #princess allura #vld pidge #voltron hunk #vld shiro #vld coran #romelle #home #krolia #paladins of voltron

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linkemon · 9 months ago

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It's gonna be alright (Keith Kogane x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ᴋᴇɪᴛʜ ᴛʀɪᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴘᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱʜɪʀᴏ'ꜱ ��ɪꜱᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ. ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴏᴋɪᴇꜱ ʜᴇʟᴘ. ᴏʀ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴡʜᴀᴛ [ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ] ꜱᴀʏꜱ…

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴꜱ.

It was the final stretch.

I snuck out again. Doing it in the evening would mean that someone would probably catch me but at night it's much easier. If the rest of the team saw me now, I'd probably get scolded but I couldn't help myself. Hunk finally baked some edible cookies!

I grabbed a plate from the nearest shelf and helped myself to a generous amount, then rearranged the cookies that had fallen out of formation back into a pyramid. This way, no one noticed when one or two floors disappeared.

As a medical student, or rather a former student, because on Earth I've probably already been kicked out of school, I always tell my team to eat healthily. I am quite aware of the effects of overeating at night and too many sweets but everyone has smaller or larger deviations. Mine gradually started to increase after Hunk got a new recipe for blueberry cookies.

When we tasted them for the first time, I was skeptical because of their blue color. We chose Coran as the tester because no one else wanted to poison themselves. However, it turned out that we had avoided failure. They tasted like cocoa.

Since then, Hunk has been baking them almost all the time and I've been stealing them on the sly. It quickly turned out that paladins had a habit of getting up often in the middle of the night. At first I ate in the living room and almost got caught when Pidge walked by. However, I managed to find a solution. My place for a snack was the rather narrow roof, which was accessed through a window on the top floor of the castle. Perhaps someone would be able to spot me during the day but at night it was virtually impossible.

I headed there too, thinking only that in a moment I would inhale that cocoa scent again. I crossed the hall, opened the window, and then placed the plate on the tiny windowsill. I had both legs out and was just about to start eating when it turned out I wasn't alone.

Keith was now sitting in my usual seat with wide eyes. He looked ready to jump but visibly relaxed when he saw it was just me.

Well, great.

So I did the only right thing that could be done in such a situation.

— Cookie?

— Excuse me? — He asked.

— I asked if you wanted a cookie. — I sat down and offered him a plate. — Just don't betray to others because I won't have a life.

He ate it, then reached for another one.

We never got along very well, partly because we didn't know each other before I joined the team. It's true that I didn't argue with him like Lance but he had such a heavy personality that I preferred spending time with Hunk or Allura. He always seemed quite cold to me but I admired his skills and courage because he certainly had plenty of that.

The silence was quite uncomfortable, so I decided to break it.

— Nice sky.

No response from Mr. Silent.

It was beautiful. A shade of navy blue completely different than the one on Earth. Constellations unlike any I've seen. Everything was different here. The thought always brought a momentary feeling of nostalgia and longing for my family but I was used to it by now. It hasn't wanted to leave me since I got here.

— Sooo... you came to think? — I said with my mouth full.

— You could say that — he muttered.

What an elaborate statement.

— I came to eat without anyone noticing. I glanced at him. — But it didn't work out as you can see. — What are you thinking about?

I didn't receive any response.

Keith started to stand up but I grabbed his sleeve.

— It's a bit inelegant of you to leave me in the middle of a conversation now.

If this could even be called a conversation...

— Something will attack me here at night when it smells food if I stay alone. — I stuffed the cookie into myself with my free hand. — If you want, we can sit in silence — I added.

I saw his hesitation but he finally sat back down after the last sentence.

I wanted to keep my word, I really wanted to. The problem, however, was the talkativeness. Everyone around me knew perfectly well that I was loud and ubiquitous. I also had trouble keeping my mouth shut. Keith and I were basically opposites, which was one of the reasons we had limited contact.

In short, I could be irritating. No wonder I couldn't last more than a few minutes.

— If you don't want to say what you're thinking, don't say it — I started. — But if you change your mind, you know — I stabbed him in the arm — you can vent.

— Do I look like someone who wants to talk?

No, you look like an irritated bastard.

— No but you look like someone who needs it. You know, as a pseudo-doctor on this team, I also have to take care of your mental health. I think it's just as important as physical one.

His expression softened slightly. He was clearly wondering whether he should share with me what was on his mind.

The silence grew.

This is how my career as a psychologist dies prematurely.

I actually could have given up but I felt like I wanted to help. Kind of like when I was quite little and put plasters on literally all the kids in my neighbourhood who had bad knees. This feeling turned into a passion — the desire to professionally care for others. I didn't have the opportunity to graduate because I was in the middle of another galaxy but I did my best. I tried to use everything I had at hand to help those who were saving planets and races that we had never known about before.

— It's about my leadership — he began, so quietly that I could barely hear him. — I feel bad about it. Everyone is counting on me, they want me to give them orders but I have the impression that whatever I do, wherever I step, will be wrong. I'm not even sure how to get along with you. After I came back to the team, everyone looks at me differently. I'm not like Shiro. My only hope is to find him and bring him back but I don't even know where to start looking for him.

I'm out of cookies.

— It's obvious — I felt his eyes on me — that you're not Shiro. I'm sure we'll find him but it will take some time. You shouldn't try to replace him because each of you is different — I started. — It'll take you a while to get used to your new role but you're on the right track. Maybe try spending some time with the team? We haven't known each other for very long but I'm not blind. Some people really miss you, Keith. Don't run away from them, try to talk to them, eat some cookies and everything will be fine. — I stood up, took my plate and headed to the window.

It's gonna be alright — the cliché I may have tried to say to myself a lot too but what choice did I have? What else could I tell him?

— [Reader]?

— Hmmm? — I stuck my head out.

— Thank you.

— No problem but it was Hunk who baked them — I said, smiling to myself and then started walking down the dark corridor.

Keith will make a good leader but I might still make a good doctor when I get back to Earth. I should just cut down on the cookies...

#keith kogane x reader #voltron x reader #oneshot x reader #shirogane takashi #cookies #hunk #coran

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seldomscilence16 · 3 months ago

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Whumptober Day 10;

Blow To the Head

Slurred words | Passing out from pain | “I can’t think straight.”

Fandom: Voltron

(I couldnt not after seeing the quote)

...

…

The mission had gone wrong almost immediately in Lance’s opinion.

They let the planet leaders give the orders, that was their first mistake, and though Lance had gone to object- quietly, to the side- he had been shut down with a look before a word had even formed. Instead the team had agreed to whatever was said, like they hadn’t learned this lesson several times over, but then again, Allura and Coran hadn’t been present to head the diplomatic side of things- their second mistake. With Allura sick- some space, quintessence, something rather flu- and Coran tending to her and the castle, they’d gone ahead with the alliance meeting to keep themselves on track with whatever schedule it was they were trying to keep- they changed it so often Lance just referred to Pidge’s program rather than try and remember it.

Mistake number three, not telling the team exactly what they should be doing down here. Instead, the team seemed to have taken it as a challenge to land this planet all on their own. And while Lance loved these losers, he’s pretty sure the shared brain cell is sick with Allura.

Long story short, the team had been split up, the cliche ‘we must test you before we join your coalition’, each being sent to a different area to find something that the leaders wanted. They were assured that their own people did quests like this all the time, and that they were sure ‘The Great Defenders of the Universe would be able to pass them with ease, certainly?’ So of course Shiro and Keith were ready for the team to prove themselves, and Pidge didn’t like being looked down on. Lance hadn’t liked the look in the leaders’ eyes, like they knew something more, like this was going to simply be an entertaining little show. It had twisted his stomach with anxiety, and Hunk had been the only one even slightly on his page- though it had been more of an uneasiness of going alone than anything.

Lance had been sent to a mine of some kind, to find a ‘large gem of immense beauty’. Everything had sounded rather trivial in Lance’s opinion, he had hoped it would be easy and quick and they could just get out of here- even if he knew that wasn’t how it was going to go.

He had gotten to his location first, the others still trekking as complaints and comments were passed over the comms- the only thing keeping Lance's heart in his chest. He’d entered with caution, the lone winding path was rather strange for a mine, no branching passageways or alcoves to speak of, simply a long tunnel with only his own wrist light to guide him. The banter is pleasant background noise, a comfort in the otherwise uneasy situation, but his shoulders remain tense, and his bayard ready.

“Ugh, how far is this stupid swamp?” Pidge bemoans for the umpteenth time.

“The planet didn’t look this big from above.” Hunk agrees with a puff of exerted air.

“Just keep going guys, Lance hasn’t complained so you guys can stick it out.” Keith’s exasperated response has little bite, but perhaps Lance is only hearing as such because he’s so focused, usually this is where they argue and throw insults.

Lance doesn’t.

His eyes are on the glowing thing in front of him.

“Lance?” Shiro’s voice is concerned, but he barely registers it.

“S’not a gem.” He gets the statement out, but despite his raised blaster, the blow across the back of his skull is hard and quick.

His world goes dark to the shouts of teammates and the glowing eye the last thing he sees.

“..wear to Gods Lance, if you don’t respond-”

“..Don freatenme…” It sounds off to his own ears, past the ringing and aching pounding.

“Oh thank goodness, Lance, buddy, how you feeling?” Hunk's voice comes as if through water, but Lance would know that anxious lilt anywhere.

“M’fine…” He pushes himself onto his elbows slowly, head swimming- ha, that's where the water came from… wait, there's no water…

“Lance, focus on our voices kiddo, what happened?”

“Nottaflippingem.” The mumble turns into a groan as he fully sits up, trying to focus his eyes enough to see.

“He’s not thinking straight, I can’t understand a thing.”

“Ayenever thhhink ssstraight.” Lance tries to sound proud, but at this point he sounds ridiculous to his own ears.

The silence lingers past the buzzing, his eyes slowly taking in the dark walls around him, thankfully sans a glowing eye. He brings a hand to the back of his head, feels the tacky wetness and cringes. Coran would probably insist on a pod… ugh.

“Lance, Hermano, now's probably not the time you should have come out.”

“Yeeer prbably rrright…. H’ve to gettoutta the darrk closset firssst…”

Lance scrunches his lips upwards, wasn’t his best analogy, but he thinks he has a pretty good excuse.

“You’re still in the mine then?” Shiro brings them back to topic, a breathless quality to his voice like he’d been running.

Lance examines the rock closest to him, finding the same drury and rough surface he’d been surrounded in since he’d begun the journey.

“Prbably.” He pushes back against the wall, getting slightly trembling legs to cooperate and push himself upwards. “Crrful uf the eyye… i’sss mean.” He groans as his head spins, “Stoopid plan… buut nnoonnee lissstens to Laannnce…” He mumbles grouchily under his breath, swaying a bit before he raises his wrist to try the light.

Spots dance in his vision at the sudden brightness, but he supposed there wasn’t much to see anyway. Rocks and rocks and rocks and darkness… he swallows thickly, looking up slowly like every horror movie ever told him not to, finding a hole in the ceiling but no movement. Great.

“Are you saying you’re not alone down there Lance?” Pidge’s voice comes through for the first time, breaking the silence that had befallen them again. Lance didn’t typically like silence, but he was having a hard time noticing it right now.

“Thaa gem, wassn’t a gem.” He declares again, a little annoyed at having to repeat himself so often. “Waas an eeyyye.”

“We’re almost there Lance, can you find your way out of there?”

Lance has been sluggishly making his way down the passage, having picked a direction with disturbance on the ground as his sign of his previous whereabouts, but as the path splits into four, he wonders if he’s been turned around.

“Harrderrr th’n aye th’ght…”

“It's a little glitchy, but I have you on my map.” Pidge starts, a grunt interrupting her that has Lance’s brow furrowing, “I can use it to feel our way to you, but there's no actual mapping lines on it, the mines aren’t showing up properly.”

Figures… He hears something shift behind him and tenses up.

“M’ght wanna hurrry…” He mumbles, as something wraps around his ankle and he’s sweeped off his feet.

The small passageway leaves little room to go anywhere, the long vine-like thing swinging him around and slamming him from one rocky surface to the next. From his peripheral he spots the gem like glowing eye, he reaches for his storage compartment, willing his bayard to his hand. The light glows for only a moment, a small handheld gun not unlike a pistol, a familiar weight in his hand. Despite how he's thrashed around, how his head rings and his vision spots, he takes aim as best he can.

The shot goes off, there's an ear piercing screech, Lance goes flying.

The air is knocked from his lungs, no sound reaches his ears as pain burns in raging waves, he impacts with the floor, struggling to inhale. As spots dance in his vision once again, and twitching limbs only worsen his ailments, his last thought is only of the team.

…

“You sent us on fools errands!” Keith seethes.

“Paladins, we were only testing-”

“This was no test! If we were to make it to our own destinations, danger would have been waiting for us too! Were you trying to kill us, or did you have some other sick motive?” Pidge spits the accusations, her scanner bleeping its warnings from her scans of their intended destinations.

“How insulting! If this is how you act-”

“This is how we respond, to one of our teammates being sent towards their death. You’d do well not to anger us further.” Allura glides into the room, skin still paler than usual, but a regal anger about her as she passes the Paladins, eyes set only on the Leaders of the planet.

“Y-your Majesty!”

“This transgression will be reported to the coalition, everyone will know how you treat potential allies and guests. We will be taking our leave now.” The promise is said with a snarl on her lips, already turning to leave.

“Wait! Please! We-”

“Paladins.” Her eyes are still set straight ahead, a cold shoulder if they’d ever seen one, but they know better than to bring it up after this end note.

“Yes Princess.”

They turn as one, glares still set in hard lines on their faces, the fumbling leaders of the planet pleading futilely. The ride to the Castle is silent, Allura fuming at the wheel, not sparing the team a glance. They share uneasy looks, and wisely choose to keep their mouths shut.

When they land in the hangar, the Princess stalks from the ship without a word, the team following with faltering steps of unease. It's only when they reach the infirmary and she sees Lance’s pod that she falters, slumping heavily into the nearest chair. Coran titters about the room, quickly checking Alluras temperature and placing a cooling cloth around her neck before moving back to the pod to check the readings again.

The tension in the room is thick, Allura leaning her head into her hands as she lets a sigh pass her lips.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, so I will ask for an explanation, despite my own hunch. One of you will speak, lest my headache worsens further.” Each word is picked carefully, said distinctly, they wonder if it's part of royal training to sound so in control despite being ill.

The team looks at Shiro, and his shoulders sag with the weight leadership has burdened him with.

“The leaders were welcoming enough, but they insisted on testing us- which wasn’t out of the ordinary- and it seemed like trivial enough tasks… so I agreed. It sounded like an easy enough challenge for us to complete-”

“Mistake number one.” Allura stops him, rubbing at her brow, “Did you ask your team if they agreed to the challenge and get a consensus from everyone, Black Paladin?”

“Well…” Shiro really thinks about it and frowns, “I… might have shut down Lance when it looked like he was going to interrupt the discussions…”

“And throughout the tests, did you notice anything odd?”

“Lance was… quiet… Until he was attacked.”

“Then I suppose one mistake may have been mine.” She says with another weary sigh.

“What do you mean?” Pidge asks with furrowed brows.

“Apparently unbeknownst to you all, Lance has been taking diplomacy lessons from Coran and myself, though he was quite adept before that. I made the mistake of assuming his team would listen to him should he have concerns about a mission that was already tremulous as it was. Lance likely was going to bring up how splitting up on a foreign planet at the behest of its suspicious leaders was unwise. Instead he was shut down and followed his orders, and look where it got him.”

Their eyes can’t help but drift towards the pod, where Corans exhausted face is creased further in worry as he stares at it,

“He is not a fan of the pods…” The advisor mumbles dishearteningly.

“He will make a recovery from his physical injuries.” Allura turns her glare on the group once more, “I expect a team effort in healing the rest of him.”

“Yes Princess.”

#whumptober2024 #no.10 #blow to the head #slurred words #passing out from pain #“i cant think straight”#voltron legendary defender #fic #blood and injury #langst #lance angst #bamf allura #tired coran #the team needs some work #team as family #disfunctional as they are #they'll work on it

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atlas7seo · 5 months ago

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Everytime I think I'm free, Voltron comes and grabs me in a choke hold. So I'm dragging yall down with me. Here's season summaries of the Voltron Rewrite I'm working on that has taken over my life. I call it my Bootstrap AU which will make sense later.

Inhales* yes this happening...

Season 1 -Defenders of the Universe

Garrison student(Lance, Hunk, and Pidge), expelled student Keith, and Lieutenant Shirogane suddenly find themselves in an alien castle courtesy of a giant Blue Mechnical Lion. Upon arrival they stumble into a 10,000 year long war against an Alien Race called the Galra. Voltron, an ancient weapon, is the only way to stop them, however, no one knows where it is. Follow the Crew aboard the Altean ship as they attempt to get the ship operational, track down lions, and discover their destiny as fated Paladins of Voltron all in a fight against the Galra. Season 1 ends with the Paladins forming Voltron for the first time and becoming Defenders of the Universe

Season 2 - The Voltron Coalition

Now that Voltron has finally been found and formed, the Paladins and Alteans attempt to form allies and liberate planets. Follow our crew as they free planets, negotiate with rebel forces, and infiltrate Galra occupation. All the while searching for a mysterious Ulaz who rescued Shiro and Ulaz's mysterious organization. Season 2 ends with the Paladins meeting the Blade of Marmora and one of their leaders, Lotor, disgraced Prince of the Galra.

(Let's address the elephant in the room. Lotor. Okay, so when I was planning my rewrite, I realized that Lotor is both so compelling and so flat. So, instead, in my rewrite, Lotor is a disgraced prince (still like the original). He sees how the empire is hurting his people who are just civilians, and when he tries to reason with his father, he is disgraced. Lotor didn't make the Blade, but he allied with them in an attempt to return the Galra to what they once were. Lotor is somewhat selfish because if it was between Galran citizens or another planet, he'd pick his people. He only rebelled because he saw how his father was hurting his people. He doesn’t actually care about the universe, his people are what he values, but that changes with *character growth*)

(Also Pidge has found Matt by the end of this season)

Season 3 - The Galran Empire

Season 3 follows our crew and the Voltron Coalition as they formulate plans to end the war at its head. They will form an alliance and plan with the Blade and Lotor. This will be an all out attack on Zarkon including the allies in the Coalition. Half the season will be the plan in motion with multiple parts in an attempt to finally stem the problem at its root. The season ends with Shiro and Lotor dealing the final blow on Zarkon and a rogue wormhole begins to pull him through, but in Zarkon's rage drags Shiro with him.

Season 4 - A New Era

With the loss of Shiro fresh in their minds, Voltron struggles to find stability in this new era. First they realize that despite Zarkon being defeated, the Galra empire is still a threat so they must be able to form Voltron again. *Cue lion switches no matter how much I hate them... Now the Paladins will be allied with Lotor as he attempts to claim the Galran Throne. Throughout they will face Haggar, Robeasts, and the dying flames of the Galran empire. During this chaotic period, they will searching for Shiro and Sam Holt. The season ends with the Kral Zera where Lotor ascends the throne.

Season 5 - Fires of Purification

After facing defeat during the Kral Zera, one of Zarkon's top generals, Sendak begins to gather the remaining "loyal Galra" including Haggar to form the Fires of Purification. This season will continue the search for Shiro and Sam while also being stuck in a Galran Civil War. Voltron, Lotor, and the Coalition fight to stop Sendak from gaining control of the Universe. The season ends with Sendak offering a trade. Shiro and Sam for Lotor. (Like in the actual season 5 because I liked what it did for the story). Voltron and Lotor form a plan and rescue them as Sendak retreats with his tail between his legs.

Season 6 - Moving Foward

With the win against the Fires and the return of Shiro and Sam, it seems things are looking up, but something isn't quite right. With little fanfare Sam chooses to return to Earth to prepare them for the universe. This season is mostly made up of interpersonal conflicts and "what now". The universe is mostly free save for a few pockets of Galra uprising that the Coalition can handle relatively easily without Voltron. The Paladins face the problem of what they should do now and if they can even go back to how things were before the war. While also worrying about Sendak and the remnants of the Fires of Purification. Throughout this, Shiro is also acting really weird. Cut to the real Shiro, but on a Space Whale. (Yes I'm bringing back the weird time distortion whale) When Zarkon grabbed Shiro they landed on a space Whale. So Shiro is trying to survive and get back to Voltron by himself with only Zarkon's corpse as company. Shiro is the one who discovers the Altean Colony (in my rewrite, Haggar is the one running the colony) and he then discovers Haggar's plan to trick Voltron with a clone of him. It's a mystery thriller season switching between the Paladins and the real Shiro as he desperately attempts to get back to his crew to warn them before its too late. The season ends with Shiro warning them too late and Haggar's plan succeeds. Voltron is torn from their allies and catapulted across the universe along with a lost Romelle.

Season 7 - Dead Sector 73

(Ok before I continue the summary, I'm going to explain what I did with Earth. So Weblums eat dead planets in order to use that quintessence to make new solar systems and planets. In my rewrite, Earth's solar system and the space sector around it was a series of dead planets Weblums ate a long time ago and Earth is the first planet to begin exhibiting life in this previous dead sector. Earth is the first living planet in Dead Sector 73. Okay now onto the season summary.)

Sam returns to Earth and begins preparing them for the Galaxy. Back to the Paladins, Haggar has successfully removed Voltron from the equation and begins to rally allies to the Galra's previous motives and moves to retake the universe. Voltron finds themselves lost in Dead Sector 73, a section of the universe Weblums have already eaten and has begun the process of life. They realize they can't reach their allies through comms or anything. But they notice they are somewhat close to Earth. So they set off to reach Earth in the hopes of communicating with the Coalition. When they reach Earth, however, they find Sendak has taken over Earth as a last ditch attempt to get revenge on the Paladins for destroying the empire. And on top of that, that they have been missing for nearly a year. (Weird time distortion stuff like the space whale because of the dead space). They also discover that Sendak is the reason they can't use their comms as he's jamming all signals that travel outside the solar system. The season ends with them defeating Sendak and finally getting ahold of their allies.

(Now I'm going to do some more world building stuff. This is information previous seasons would originally have already told, but I'm putting it here. So the Blades have the motto "Knowledge or Death" and I want to use that somehow. So in my rewrite, the Blade sort of stole the philosophy from the ORIGINAL Galran empire. The war began not because of quintessence poisoning, but because the Galra believed Knowledge or Death. It was a disagreement on ethics and how far you should go in the pursuit of science and knowledge. This disagreement about how to handle the quintessence plane between Zarkon and Alfor sparked the initial conflict as Zarkon wanted to save his wife no matter what. However, due to millenia of exposure to quintessence it degraded Zarkon's mind to the point that he became the villain the show knows today)

Season 8 - Tomorrow and Yesterday

When Voltron and Earth finally reach the Galatic Stage, they discover Haggar has been reigning terror over the galaxy using the Alteans from the colony. While the Coalition and the Galra of Lotor's empire are holding ground, they are beginning to lose. This is when it's revealed that after Zarkon lost his mind to quintessence, Haggar was the one running the show. She must have progress, and now Alfor and the Alteans are no longer in the way for it. (Haggar is still Honerva and born Altean). This season focuses on defeating Haggar and freeing the Alteans from her brain washing. In the end, Honerva destroys all universes by attacking the quintessence plane in pursuit of "scientific knowledge." The Paladins kill Honerva but realize that everything is gone. This is when the Lions come to them. They reveal that sacrificing themselves can restore their universe. "Restore our universe? But what about all the others?" The Lions tell their Paladins that they in themselves are a Causal Loop. The Lions must be sacrificed to restore their universe, and sacrificing them in the quintessence plane it causes them to appear in the past as the materials that Alfor uses to create the Lions. The Lions are forever in a perpetual loop being created and destroyed to maintain the universe. However, each time they do this, they are sent back to another universe as well. It's a multiplying paradox. They are created and destroyed infinite times to restore everything Honerva destroyed. (I did this because I wanted to include the multiple universes the show had, but also, according to my rewrite, the original Voltron could also technically be canon somewhat. It just that in that universe. Allura sacrificed herself, causing the Lions to no longer go through the loop). When the Paladins return, they realize the quintessence plane is sealed off. No one in their universe can ever reach it again. The universe is saved, and the Paladins walk forward to tomorrow, knowing that yesterday is in good hands.

The End

Okay so that was a lot. I hope that if you reached the end of this, you enjoyed it. Do you think I improved it? Or maybe it's just as convoluted and bad as the original, but I tried my best to take all the ideas from Voltron and fit them coherently. Since these were just season summaries there's a lot of stuff I didn't include that I am including in my in depth rewrite like Keith being half Galra, and shipping and stuff. But this rewrite has been eating at my brain for two weeks so I had to put it somewhere.

The reason it's called the Bootstrap AU is obviously because of the Causal Time Loop. No real reason why I added it, I just thought it was fun and funky and shows how the Lions are things that the characters can never truly understand.

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lillypad910 · 2 years ago

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Can I request a oneshot where reader gives Keith a spoon full of salt (like this https://youtube.com/shorts/cWHPVXMZdBQ?feature=share4 ) as a prank, but he just say that everything is ok just because he doesn't want to hurt reader feelings? And then even If this was just a silly prank reader realizes that Keith loves and cares about them so much?

Thank you for my first request!! I hope I did this justice! I knew exactly what the spoon of salt prank was before even looking at the clip and I’m so happy to get to write it with a character! You didn’t specify a gender so I didn’t use any pronouns so it’s completely gender neutral! Thank you again!!

Keith Kogane x Gn!Reader

Word count: 463

Short but sweet!

You were in the kitchen on the Castle of Lions, Hunk stood next to you as you both prepared the meal for the rest of the paladins. You had gotten tired of that green food goo a while ago, so you and Hunk decided to try something new, to experiment a bit.

As you stirred the bowl of soup in the pot, an idea struck you. “Hunk,” you turn towards your larger friend, “hear me out.”

It took no time at all once your shared your devious prank with Hunk, before the spoon was covered in salt and dipped into the soup to cover the evidence.

Walking out of the kitchen with a spoon in hand, carefully, you made your way into the lounge area where the other paladins were sitting. Lance, Allura, and Pidge were all grouped together, talking about who knows what, voices giggling to themselves as they minded their own business.

Keith and Shiro were sitting on the other side, talking about the black lion. You walk over a bright smile on your face. “Keith?” You stop by the two and Keith looks up at you. “Yeah?” He looks at you, eyes happy to see you. “Would you try this for me? I’m trying to decide if it’s good.” You give him your best sing song voice, eyes glittering with hope.

Without batting an eye, Keith nods, “Sure,” he opens his mouth and you put the spoon closer to him for him to swallow the scoop. Almost instantly a reaction occurs as his nose slightly scrunches up. “Is it good?” You ask, trying not to laugh and break your cover. His lips pinch as he swallows, eyes twitching. “Yeah, babe, it’s-“ He smacks his lips, obviously struggling from the sudden lack of water in his mouth, “it’s good.”

“Do you think it’s needs more salt?” “No!” He practically cuts you off before correcting himself, “no, babe, it’s perfect just how it is. I’m sure everyone will like it.” He smiles at you, just happy to see your cute little smile get bigger.

It was at this moment you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling. You knew he was saying it was good just to make you feel good about it, not because he actually liked it.

His head tilts at your laughter. “Everything ok? Did I say something funny?” He asks. “No, no, you didn’t.” You try to stop your giggles before pulling him into a hug by his shoulders. “You’re too sweet, Keith.”

You knew Keith cared about you, but you didn’t know how deep that care went. If it was Lance with the spoon, he would have told him it was the grossest thing he’d ever eaten, but he didn’t. Because it was you, and that makes you happy.

#keith kogane #voltron #legendary defender #keith kogane x reader #gn!reader #x gn!reader #x reader

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kismetconstellations · 2 months ago

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Whatever happened to Pidge's furry alien friends?

In the Season Six finale, they're shown exiting the Castle of Lions with her, before it's destroyed, and floating around the cockpit of the Green Lion, immediately afterward.

And, then we never see them, again.

The next time Pidge is in the cockpit, in the second episode of Season Seven, she's by herself,

until she's briefly saddled with all of the "annoying" passengers,

then, ultimately, Shiro, who rides with her from episode four

to episode nine, where the team finally reaches Earth's solar system.

For that entire duration, there's never anyone else in the Lion with them aside from Kosmo, who pops in to bring them food and drink when the collective group has their meals.

So, where did the little puff balls go? Did she just let them out into space to fend for themselves?

And, where did all of her clutter go? I thought it was sort of sweet that she held onto the garbage sculptures she made of Hunk, Lance, and Shiro, but they likewise disappear without any explanation.

#Pidge Holt #Katie Holt #Takashi Shirogane #Shiro #You're nothingness but shining and everywhere at once.#Honorary Siblings.#I know I shouldn't have expected an explanation for unnamed silent characters and objects going missing when Shiro switching from #riding with Keith to riding with Pidge was never explained #and he was a major VITAL character.#But seriously.#Voltron: Legendary Defender #Meta.#VLD Meta.

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voltronisanobsession · 2 years ago

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Platonic Yandere! Voltron x Reader

These are my first headcanons I’ve uploaded so they might be a little all over the place and unorganized💀💀 but anyways hope you guys enjoy?

I don’t know if having all of them obsessed with you is a good thing or a bad thing

On one side, they’d be willing to do anything in order to protect you

But on the other, there’s literally no way you’re ever getting away from them, not with the defenders of the universe being your personal guard dogs

You had to have been friends with at LEAST one of them before finding the blue lion and I’m feeling Pidge was the first one to have been the starting catalyst

So once you’ve met everyone else, something just clicked in their brains

Your whole being was just so comforting and familiar for them that they didn’t even realize their feelings towards you becoming twisted

You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere by yourself

Feel like eating something? Good thing Hunk’s tagging along, maybe he’ll make you a tasty meal

Need to train in the training deck? Well, Keith feels like his fighting skills are getting a little rusty

Want to look over the star chart? Luckily Coran and Pidge are right there to help you understand some of the patterns

Want to get some rest in your room? Allura’s already suggesting you guys should have a slumber party in her room!

You won’t get any time to yourself, not with one of them breathing down your neck

There will always be one of them right next to you wherever you are

Like they’re clinginess is unreal💀 some will make their clingy needs obvious (LANCE, Hunk, Coran) while the others will be a bit more discreet about it (Shiro, Keith, Pidge)

I feel like Allura would be in between

But despite this, none of them are willing to take the risk of you roaming around outside the castle

You could try and run from them, maybe the aliens on the planets they visit will want to keep you for themselves, or the galra might show up and start attacking!

Because of that lingering fear, missions are usually done with you back in the safety of the castle with Coran and Allura (if she hasn’t begun piloting the lion yet)

They’re usually left on babysitting duties with you which they don’t honestly mind…

All of them would be SUPER overprotective of you to the absolute MAX, telling you the castle was the only place that could keep you safe

If they aren’t around that is

Being around them in the castle begins to feel more an obligation, and you feel more like a prisoner

Which is why you prefer Shiro out of all of them because he’s the only one who gives you some amount of freedom

Shiro understands what it’s like to be kept as a prisoner and understands just how restricting your situation is

He definitely tries to work out some negotiation with you

To make up for the others obsessive need to constantly be around you, he forces them to chill out and just let you be

Kind of like a schedule of some sort

With Shiro’s light supervision, you can finally take a moment for yourself without having to worry about the lingering eyes you’ve felt since leaving earth

Just don’t take advantage of Shiro’s kindness because the little privacy he’s given you can easily be taken away and you’d be back at stage one with the group hogging for your attention

Because this group is diverse in personalities, it can be extremely draining having to deal with them all on a daily basis

Lance and Keith fight for your attention, Lance being more loud and open about it

It’s like a tug of war situation with them, constantly having them bicker over who gets to hangout with you and fighting for that right

“Hey y/n, I say we make a break for it. You, me, we’ll make a great pair just saving the universe!”

“You really think they want to spend time with you?? I think y/n was on their way to the training deck right?”

It’s exhausting to say the least

Having Pidge run on and on about programs she’s working on can be draining and you often find yourself dozing off until she wakes you up, forcing you to listen to her rants and programs she’s currently working on again

(Definitely has some sort of tracker on you, everybody knows about it except you)

I feel like Hunk wouldn’t be as bad as the others but he does force you to cook with him in the kitchen, constantly wanting your inputs and needing compliments, not allowing you to leave until you’ve taste tested all of his new dishes

Manipulates you into staying with him by saying no one appreciates his cooking💀 makes you feel bad so you reluctantly stay in your seat

Allura and Coran…

They have never felt such intense feelings for a person before, so it really throws them off once they’ve developed their twisted version of affection for you

Their planet was destroyed and now that they finally found a home in you, they’re both willing to do anything in order to keep you in the safety of their arms

“Y/n just the person I was looking for! I need your help in running some tests for me”

“Ah y/n there you are! I was starting to get worried when I didn’t find you with the others,,”

Shiro plans on keeping and protecting the innocence he saw in you when you guys first met

Definitely gives overprotective dad vibes

He’ll be forceful with you if you try and do anything dangerous, like trying to go out on missions or even trying to escape them

I don’t think escaping is even possible tbh, they all kinda desperate ngl💔

Overall, this group is dead set on keeping you with them

It doesn’t really matter what you want because you don’t really understand the true dangers the universe can throw at you

They just want to keep you safe and happy

As long as you follow along with their rules and requests, living in the castle with this group won’t be as terrible as compared to you constantly fighting against them

That won’t be well received by either of them, especially Allura and Shiro

#yandere voltron #yandere Shiro #yandere Keith #yandere Lance #yandere Allura #yandere Pidge #yandere Hunk #yandere Coran #voltron x reader #yandere voltron x reader #voltron legendary defender

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just-jae · 1 month ago

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Took another shot at voltron designs, this time taking a bit more inspiration from the military :’D

Some headcanons:

Keith is MASSIVE, but he’s often huddled away in some corner or his room and has a bad slouch so the others often forget how big he is. He’s something of a shut-in and tends to avoid opportunities to question his appearance (akward build, yellow eyes, gangly limbs, and an odd smell when he’s not wearing a citrisy perfume (its the only scent that covers it up effectively)). He’s also the youngest of the group at 19, and before the Garrison, lived with his dad on a ranch. After his dad’s passing, he left and buried himself in work at the Garrison, where initially he excelled, but eventually started to have outbursts as his unprocessed grief and self-isolation got the better of him and… body issues as his galran genes started to express themselves more overtly.

Lance (22) is, for lack of a better phase, chronically on watch. He joined the garrison bc it was supposed to be a cool job that impressed the ladies, and ended up being really good at handling weaponry so he’s always trying to play this cool marksman persona strutting around in gear he dont need, and acting like he’s always doing something (more) important.

Took his hearing out though. He’s always wearing earplugs trying not to get anymore deaf.

In addition to being a goof, Lance is usually picking on the other crew and talking down to them, but just as often eats his own words. Normally he flirts with women but has a whole list of reasons not to flirt with Pidge, ranging from her “looking “like a boy” being an “old lady” and that she’s “crazy”.

Pidge also keeps a copy of the list in case he changes his mind about those things.

Speaking of Pidge, is indeed old lady (27 :’D) and the go-to candidate for fitting into small places, whether its to help with maintenance/repair, stealth, or reaching something someone dropped. She’s not much different personality wise, except she teams up with Hunk often to nerd out and tinker with tech, and has a bit of mad scientist vibes going on sometimes.

Hunk is always studying the ship and the lions, and other equipment, basically anything he comes across he’s popping it open to see how it works. He’s often helping Coran and Allura with repairs and maintenance to the Castle, helping Allura channel her magic to the right places (for the magical side) While Allura sometimes uses her magic or just Altean literacy to guide Hunk in the right direction (For mechanical side). His familiarity with complex machines translates to insightful understanding of teamwork as well, understanding that the parts of the whole need care and proper treatment and that everyone has different and similar needs. He’s like a second dad to the group, or a brother, tending to get along with everyone and be generally neutral when drama ensues. He may not cure everyone of their issues but he helps everyone remember to respect each other and work as a team.

Disclaim: Pretty sure ATM Voltron is the property of Dreamworks.

#voltron ld #voltron #keith #hunk #pidge #lance #headcanon #redesign #fanfiction questionmark?

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discordiansamba · 1 year ago

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It becomes rapidly apparent to the Alteans that Keith is different from the other four humans brought to the Castle.

It's not simply that he's the only one among them who isn't a paladin. It has much more to do with how he carries himself. Both he and Shiro carry themselves like soldiers, but it's more readily apparent in Keith- as if he were born and bred into it in a way Shiro wasn't. His face is completely expressionless, but they can both sense the suspicion he regards them with nonetheless.

When they finally inquire as to the difference with Shiro, he heaves a long sigh and explains that Keith isn't fully human. They don't know what he's mixed with- his mother apparently left long before he would have been able to remember her, and his father never told him anything about her. He goes on to explain how the Galaxy Garrison- the space exploration program he worked for- became aware of the Galra Empire's presence at the fringes of their system years ago. That in their search for answers, they found Keith-

-and turned him into the equivalent of a living weapon.

Allura wants to be sick. Coran actually is sick. That is absolutely horrid. She has half a mind to take the Castle and storm into this Galaxy Garrison herself, and demand to speak with this Admiral Sanda. But she knows that would accomplish nothing, and Shiro has a point- maybe they can help Keith.

He asks them to keep this matter a secret from the paladins. He really wants to give them an opportunity to get to know Keith as a person, not as the weapon the Garrison made him into. It... does not seem to be going extremely well, if Allura is perfectly honest. It is clear that Lance resents Keith to a noteworthy degree. Hunk and Pidge don't necessarily follow along, but it's not exactly a warm, friendly atmosphere.

Allura decides to do what she can. She opens the Castle's clothing stores to Keith, so that he can take whatever he wishes from it. She attempts to engage him in conversation, though he mostly stone-walls her. Coran has him help around the ship, having a little more success in getting him to open up. She helps arrange exercises with Shiro that conveniently need a sixth person.

She's just... not sure if they're actually getting through to him.

#but at least he's no longer suspicious of her and Coran!#keith would love nothing more than to remain on standby and await orders #but these aliens keep dragging him around their ship with Shiro's blessing #the whole situation is weird to him. suddenly he's around a bunch of people who treat him like he's a person #even lance who makes it clear he doesn't like him does #you are (not) a weapon

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greenflamedwriter · 8 months ago

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Voltron Season 8 Fix-it-Fic

Voltron Season 7/8 re-write of of how I wanted Voltron to add + The Ship that I knew would never happen but I took creative liberties. Summary: When Keith joins Voltron and they go back to Earth to defend against the Galra, the castle still remained as well as Voltron- But the garrison confiscates the Lions and only THEIR best and brightest can pilot the lions. Lance/Shiro. Lance leaves Voltron to be a teacher. Adam and Shiro get that fight we were promised.

He was gone.

The others were talking amongst themselves, with Allura supporting shiro- Keith and Hunk discussing where they should go to next and talking rations while Pidge and coral were charting a course to earth that wouldn’t take much time, coasting to earth would be dangerous especially with no healing pods to fall back on.

And Lance was trying everything he could to not break down.

It was surprisingly easy, he knew his body and his mind. He figured once he was alone and they settled on a plan he could cry over the fact that Shiro.

His shiro was gone.

Keith may have matured with his two years absence, but Lance was here from day one and knew that right now they were wasting time.

“Allura can get us there, there’s no need to chart a course.”

That had everyone’s attention, of course Pidge’s face scrunched up about to respond.

“We didn’t have Allura open up a wormhole to Arus when we all got in the blue lion from earth. We jumped from keeboras to arus with a wormhole. The lion created it once, it could probably do it again, Allura went to oriande and knows more about the lions and is the blue paladin.”

Allura looked unsure “I don’t know if I can…”

“Allura you made wormholes all the time, and you just saved Shiro, you can do anything you set your mind too. I know you can do it princess.” Lance winked and Allura flushed ducking her head.

“You can bond with blue and while she figures that out, we’ll all go and gather rations, someone should stay here with Shiro- Keith would you?”

Keith nodded “Yeah, but why not Coran?”

“Coran knows this planet better than us, he can tell us what the look out for in case we’re in trouble. We’ll go in pairs, even tho it’s a safe planet we have to be on guard.”

The others nodded packing up their things.

Keith moved over “I uh, thanks. You Uh, you’re really good at this.”

The blue paladin gave him a scathing look.

“Unlike some people I didn’t have two years to mature then come back when you felt like it. Some of us had to stay and fight and deal with it ourselves.”

Keith’s mouth fell open as Lance glared his way “Are you done running away now?” Keith clenched his fists “Lance, I had to leave it was better-“

“What almost getting yourself killed?” Lance pushed back “Because I saw that. I heard from kolivan how you would recklessly throw your life away and for what? You could’ve died in space and we wouldn’t even know about it. So don’t come back here as if you magically fixed everything and all’s forgiven.” Lance turned around almost following after the others until he heard Keith mumble behind him.

“I wasn’t running away.”

Lance turned back “Might want to elaborate on that buddy?”

“We’re not friends and we can’t pick and choose where we stay. we’re soldiers it made sense for me to go with the blade rather than you being dead weight.”

It showed how how little Lance cared that he barely felt any emotion.

“Oh so you did me a favour when I could’ve went back to earth to help Sam and Matt.” Lance crossed his arms.

“If you were here, Keith. Maybe you would’ve realised that Shiro was a clone.” Keith took a physical step back.

“Whatever you say to make yourself feel better that you didn’t figure it out yourself.”

“Puh-lease. You think your insulting me but Pidge and Hunk never realised either. No if your taking over as the black paladin now you need to step up. Fighting is easy,” Lance gestured “What happens when the fighting stops? Or you think your not needed? Going to run away again?”

Keith looked away and Lance scowled grabbing his chest plate and slamming his head against Keith’s making him look at him.

“If your going to be here then fucking act like a leader!” Lance shoved him away and turned back towards the group.

The others remained silent, Lance partnered up with Hunk and they split up to get provisions.

“Lance, that was really harsh.”

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Hunk. Keith is the black paladin, and everything that’s happened was blind luck, finding his mom, Romelle? And getting some fucking cosmic insight that Shiro wasn’t shiro?” Lance growled then decided to hack a tree and Hunk only watched sadly.

“He left us, Hunk!” Lance swung down harshly “So no! he doesn’t get to waltz back in here and act like everything is fine.” Hunk sighed “Lance…this is Keith we’re talking about, he’s not really great with people and you yelling at him is only going to push him away.”

Lance sighed shutting his eyes “Hunk. We sent him off with a hug and farewell to be nice. It couldn’t have been a worse send off “Oh yeah we don’t need you just go to the galra. You heard kolivan, Keith almost killed himself for us and I just I thought-“ Lance hacked another tree making Hunk flinch.

“Look once we get back to earth, he’s going to do the same thing. Leave us for the garrison with Kroila because he found his real family now and we mean Jack shit.”

Lance turned to Hunk “What Keith did isn’t okay, Hunk. But you and the others won’t say anything because your all too scared to rock the boat. But these things need to be said, or nothings going to get better.”

Hunk only watched as Lance kept hacking at the trees, they should’ve been looking for food but…he’ll give Lance a minute to cool down.

Although Hunk resented being called a coward, was there anything wrong with not wanting to make things worse?

Not everyone can speak their mind…

Allura sat in the cockpit of the blue lion, her hands shaking.

She couldn’t do this.

She almost lost everything- in just one moment. She could’ve lost Voltron and Coran, her home.

And yet-

She grit her teeth wrapping her arms around herself.

And yet her mind couldn’t help but play over Lotor words.

Was he sincere?

No!

She clenched her eyes shut, her lip trembling he was a liar! He lied to her and yet she missed him a small part wondered if maybe they were wrong- maybe if Lotor explained himself.

She shook her head.

Scrubbing away her tears.

No. The others counted on her, they needed this wormhole. The blue lion can make one.

And…they wouldn’t understand, Allura exhaled a shaky breath.

She glanced out the window watching the others sort out her supplies.

Her eyes trailed over Lance, he was always a constant.

But none of them would understand what it was like…to lose someone, someone who you were vulnerable with, someone who could’ve been…more.

Allura grasped the controls taking one last look before shutting her eyes tight.

“Please.”

She thought of them all, her new family, Pidge, actually interested in Altean culture and took to it exceptionally, and Hunk creating delicious foods and even gave her biscuits when she was low. Keith always saying the right thing, who she can trust to be honest with her, they were birds of a feather after all. Coran her advisor but more than that. A father, the caretaker of the team to keep them sane even though he’s hurting himself.

And Lance, he said Allura was the blue paladin because she was the heart of the team, but that’s not true.

Lance was there for the team and could be serious whenever they needed him. He believed in all of them and made them better.

He was the true heart and Allura wanted him to be right, that he placed his trust in the right person.

She can do this.

Above their heads high in the sky, flickered a dark orb until a wormhole sputtered to life above them.

Pidge gaped “Holy crow!”

“Way to go Allura!”

Allura slumped back exhausted “If you guys can get ready I suggest we do it now, I don’t know how long it’ll hold.”

Lance beamed “You heard her, grab everything and get into your lions! Romelle, honey you and Coran go with Allura, I’m sure you have a lot to discuss.”

“Kroila, Shiro Keith you all go together.”

“Pidge you take the storage and Hunk, the provisions since you’ll be cooking anyway.”

Although Lance put food in all of their lions just in case.

Lance sighed “And I’ll take Kaltenecker, hopefully it won’t be a long ride.”

The others nodded and began to make way.

Lance made it to his lion settling into his chair as the hatch closed.

This was it, he was going home.

He raised his hand clasping it around the chain around his neck.

He knew it was impossible to be in war without losing something, but he didn’t think it’s be such a huge loss.

“Lance? Come on man, it’s closing!”

“Coming!”

He leapt into the air after the others making it into the wormhole just in time.

They opened up at Kerberos.

Maybe Allura jumped here because Shiro spoke about the moon a lot around them leading up to his excitement of the mission but avoiding the galra attack, he was aware it happened but wanted to focus on the positives.

Still, it shouldn’t take long to get to earth- oh shit.

“Uh- Guys what are we going to say so the united force’s and the rest of earth so they don’t nuke us on arrival?”

“…”

He heard Shiro sigh over the video feed “Leave it to me.”

Shiro directed at Pidge “Pidge can you radio in to Sam Holt?”

“Uh, yeah.”

And just like that Shiro and Pidge were able to get on call with Sam to clear the runway so to speak.

“So how long will you guys be?” Sam asked, and Shiro responded “A few minutes.”

Sam chocked on his drink “A few minutes- for gods sake Shiro,” he stood up from his chair “Some forewarning will be nice.”

“We can orbit around Mars for a bit if that suits you-“

“Don’t be a wise ass, hold on. We already prepared for you to land we just have to speed up the process.”

“Thanks Sam.”

“Don’t thank me yet, we have some…issues.”

“With what?”

“The…senate, don’t feel comfortable with a ton of dropouts and aliens piloting a weapon.”

“They didn’t.”

“Yeah, it’s the typical they want it in government hands. Shiro, they’re going to try to take Voltron from you. They already have pilots lined up, the best and brightest.”

“Don’t they realise we’re in an intergalactic war that’s ranged on for thousands of years?”

“Yes and you’ll love this, some senators want to bark out peace with the Galra.”

“They want to give up before they’re even here!?”

Lance flinched eyes wide in surprise, guess ‘Shiro’ losing his temper wasn’t a new development with the clone. Then he shook his head, he couldn’t keep comparing them, they weren’t alike at all.

“That’s what I’ve been saying! Shiro you have to help me here if we don’t do something this could end up like the pandemic of 2020!”

“Dad for the last time, you and your generation keep saying that but I bet it wasn’t even that bad!”

Sams answering silence was enough “On second thought. Orbit Mars for a few Thebes.”

“Dad!?”

“You know I’m kidding and…done, now we’re ready for ya kiddo.”

He clicked off and the others deterred to Shiro, even he seemed surprised that they still saw him as a leader.

“Alright team, let’s go home.”

“And give them a show while we’re at it!” Lance grinned thrusting downwards as the lions began to make their descent.

When they landed at the garrison with the familiar uniforms glaring up at them, Lance breathed in.

“Ah gone sweet home.”

So many unimpressed faces, how did Lance survive without them.

The lions opened up and the others excited, Pidge instantly sighted her family and sprinted towards them, Shiro along with Kroila and Keith were more subdued as they began to make their way towards Iverson.

Lance stayed beside Hunk and Romelle, their family won’t be here, Lance had no way of knowing if the garrison their dissapearence a secret or not.

Lance and Hunk holt at the sudden commotion as Iverson begins barking at Shiro, but surprisingly Shiro yells back getting in his face, and then some garrison punk decides to intervene.

“Show some respect to your commanding officer, Captain Shiro.” Lance instantly recognises him.

James…something. He forgot his last name. Oh whatever, Lance had to get in there.

Lance strutted up saluting.

“Commander Iverson.” The man nodded back “Cadet McLain.”

Oh god dammit he didn’t graduate but come on! He was in space, he could see James smirking and instantly smoothed down his metaphorical feathers.

“Commander, we have just landed from being in space for god knows how long so I apologise if our captain is being teachy,” He could feel Shiro glaring at him “What seems to be the problem.”

“I simply requested we confiscate the…lions, as the Garrison has the right to take inventory of them. The blue lion was originally on this planet near this location and that means we have jurisdiction of it. And if what Captain Shirogane says is true then the current pilots must disband and let real professionals take over.”

You could almost hear a penny drop, and Lance knew both Keith and Shiro- and Pidge by the look of it were about to have another shouting match.

“Which candidates did you have in mind?” Lance asked and Iverson nodded at James and his team behind him.

“James Griffen“

Griffen! That was his name!

“Ina Leifsdottir, Nadia Rizavi and Ryan Kinkade.”

Honestly they looked impressive.

“Of course, sure they can have Voltron no problem.”

“Lance!?”

Lance was gazing at Iverson and knew he was surprised, Lance was childish and wanted to keep his toys and never let anyone have them. But that was a long time ago.

“Well, good Cadet, we’ll get everyone prepared and to load the lions into-“

“Ah, hold on, before we do any of that, sir.” Lance spoke nodding towards the lions.

“They have to try to pilot them first.”

“…excuse me?”

Shiro catching on, smirked, “Of course. The lions are sentient and won’t let anyone pilot them. If your team can access the lion and pilot it then we’ll say nothing more.”

It was hilarious to say the least seeing all the pilots bounce if the lions as the barrier appeared to block them from even trying.

It stopped being funny when Red barrier didn’t come up.

The cock-put opened up. And The eyes glowed yellow, the red lion had accepted her pilot.

Lance and the others as well as most of the faculty watching had matching stunned faces.

James exits the walk down path with a cocky look, and Lance could only sigh.

“Well,” James started “Not so smug now are ya?”

“Now hang on just a minute!” Pidge started about to intervene Shiro grabbed their shoulder.

Lance glanced at the others, to James then to saw Iverson murmuring something to another Lecturer.

Lance looked up at red recalling when he first piloted Blue how it felt as if her eyes were watching him. But in this moment he couldn’t feel anything from Red at all.

He never realised how much of a spare part he’s been.

Others always told him he would amount to nothing more than a cargo pilot time to face the music.

Lance beamed taking a step forward with his hand outstretched his eyes serious.

“Congratulations.”

Pidge still yelling paused as well as many others.

James for once looked unsure “Uh…”

“You shake, dude.”

James took his hand and both shook once. With that out the way Lance easily moved over wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

“Okay, so you realised that the lion is nothing like earth ships, so your going to have to adjust to that and everything’s in altean, but just remember that the lion is connected to you mentally-“

“Uh-“

“And if you pilot her as you would pilot any other craft she’ll accommodate you, so relax and don’t get too hung up on it being an alien ship and you should be fine.”

“Uh okay.” Lance slapped his back good naturally “Good, take care of my team Griffen.”

He could feel the others eyes burning holes into his back.

Lance realised that he was only here because Keith had to step down, as a fighter pilot leaving the garrison, the Red Paladin in Voltron and leaving Voltron so Lance could stay.

Lance was sick of having things handed to him and they didn’t have time for that, the galra were coming. And the couldn’t afford to hold people back just because of Lance’s ego?

No he was so over that.

“If you have questions, my team will teach you the ropes. You’ll have to refer to Keith as he’s the black paladin.”

“Why I’m higher rank than drop out over there.”

Lance crossed his arms.

“In Voltron that Dropout pilots the black lion.”

“And that’s important because?” Lance sighed “Voltron combines into a huge mecha robot and the black lion is in charge of cohesively moving said parts, yes he outranks you.”

“Lance you can’t be serious-“

“James is clearly green he has no idea what he’s doing!”

“I’m not green I’m red.”

Lance bit his lip, James was just like Keith,

“The lions pick the pilots, I can’t help that and look-“ just to prove his point he reached out and the barrier appeared and Lance’s palm met resistance.

“She won’t let me in. It’s settled, come on guys you act as if we never lion hopped before.”

They didn’t look happy, Hunk even spoke up “Well yeah but it’s different now.”

Lance sighed “Guys it’s fine, Iverson and Shiro are talking about it now- it’s cool.”

“No it’s different because- you piloted blue! You were there from the start- it’s just wrong!” Lance hesitated at Hunks outburst.

“Hunk it’s okay, you and Pidge are still piloting the same lions nothing has changed that much.”

Hunk looked down and Lance had no idea what to say, “Listen I need to talk to Iverson- be two ticks.”

He glanced over and saw his window.

“Commander Iverson?”

Iverson was almost about to leave but turned his lip pulled in his familiar sneer.

“Yes, cadet.”

Good god does Lance need to graduate.

“Sir, did Captain Shiro let you know if the situation.”

“Yes, in great detail.”

Lance nodded “Since my position in Voltron has now terminated it doesn’t change the fact that I’m the only one with hands on experience who has squires so much free time. I have background experience, and so much intel and can act as a liaison between Voltron and the Garrison.”

“Captain Shirogane will act as liaison.”

“Oh so he has time to show you guys around the Altean castle, weblums, balmara’s, space swaps, and quintessence?”

“Cadet mcclain if you can stop wasting my time with made up-“

“It’s not, we need weblums for sculatrite to create wormholes.” Allura spoke up “And Balmarian crystals to power the Castle,” Pidge added.

Shiro even intervened “I can talk about the Galra and get us combat ready, but there’s so much you guys need to know-“

“And we’re already behind.”

Iverson stared at Lance “Fine. I expect a module to teach the cadets on everything they need to know, the faculty lecturers will oversee it and approve it if it meets our standards.”

“Sure, I’ll even give you guys the tour of the castle the more your informed the easier it’ll be.”

Iverson moved towards his colleges to go over the plans and Shiro moved up beside Lance talking low so the others won’t hear.

“Are you sure Lance? Voltron is stronger with you here. training James might make it harder to fight the galra.”

Lance gave him an easy smile not looking him in the eye “Shiro this works out, we need a pilot from the garrison to be here. By military standards a former pilot, some dropouts have no weight or loyalty, they want to make sure Voltron is on their side first.”

“Of course we are!” Shiro hissed “We want to protect earth-“

“But not become dictators like Zarkon. Think of this as the accords from civil war, look it’ll work out once they see what you can do.”

And the fact that the country will assume Voltron was some terrorist weapon so yeah they needed to show they had control of Voltron.

“What we can do?” Shiro looked perturbed “Lance, you’re a part of this team too.” Lance finally looked him in the eye and for the first time, relaxed.

Maybe, Shiro didn’t remember him…but maybe he might or he could probably try again to recreate what he and Shiro once had?

This easy commadry was what sparked them in the first place.

“I know, which is why it’s better to be on the sidelines. The garrison know nothing about the Galra, Altean tech and the things they need to make them stronger. Earth wasn’t ready to leave their solar system and now they have to deal with a thousand year intergalactic war on their front door step? They won’t understand a word that Coran is saying and Allura is stuck with Voltron since she’s a new member. She and James can learn together- this works out! I can help things speed along!”

Pidge finally heard that still fuming that she was exchanging one brash idiot for another worse brash idiot “What about Shiro? He can do that stuff,” she bit out.

Lance shook his head, even tho Shiro was nodding along with her.

“Shiro is a senior officer, and would be working with Iverson and the other instructors and even head of state- he’ll have his hands full trying to make sure the freakin army won’t us Voltron as some sort of weapon against other country’s! we can’t afford infighting with other continents when freakin actual aliens might come out of nowhere and kill us. Two pair of hands are better, guys…trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“Are you really okay with this?” Lance glanced up surprised at the pure venom in Keith’s voice and realised as their eyes locked he was thinking of that conversation in Keith’s room.

“That’s six pilots one too many, I know we need a red paladin and we should have our best soldiers out there.”

“You’re just running away! Classic Keith.”

Lance smiled, who’s the hypocrite now. It did seem like he was running away.

But unlike him, Keith was actually needed.

“Of course. No use beating around the bush, I wasn’t meant to be a fighter pilot. I should accept my loses while I can.”

-return to earth. Adam and shiro get back together and Lance is gutted.

-Lance becomes a lecturer describing in depth materials and what they do. Students ignore him so he asks Pidge/hunk to back up what he’s saying and they soon realise that Lance is t dumb.

-Adam drags Lance to talk to Shiro.

“Lance McClain, right?”

Lance paused gathering his notes and glanced up, standing in the door way with his arms crossed and a permanent scowl on his face was non other than Adam Montgomery.

Lance honestly had no clue why Adam was here and why he was glaring at him as if Lance insulted his mother.

“Uh, yeah. What can I do for you?”

Adam smiled, and somehow that was worse.

“I was wondering if you had lunch yet?”

“I’m, no?”

“Great, I wanted to talk about one of your lecturers about the healing pods?”

Oh that was a surprise, Lance almost told Adam to just read his PowerPoint.

But Lieutenant Adam might be busy and would probably prefer direct cliff notes first.

“Uh sure.”

On their way towards the food court, Adam casually placed his arm around Lance’s and begun his discussion.

“I most of my students won’t stop talking about your wormhole thesis.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“So I read it myself, it’s really detailed most assume that Katie holt was the co-writer, or mostly wrote 80% of it.”

“Uh you could say that, I mean she explained it to me.”

“Pidge didn’t input anything on that paper. I confirmed it myself, your academic grades are off the charts you were always second in class but what you had theory failed in practical.”

Lance had no idea what Adam wanted from him, until they rounded the corner and began to walk towards a lunch table.

With Shiro occupying it.

Adam must of know Lance was about to run, his hand digging into his shoulder.

Almost like a marshal shoving a delinquiet towards a squad car.

“I know your smarter than what people give you credit for.”

He pushed Lance in his seat and even shoved a tray of food towards him.

“Your favourite.” Adam smiled and sat down beside shiro.

Lance could only stare at his tray still steaming hot.

Shiro looked awkward and Adam was watching him like a hawk.

“Why are you avoiding Shiro, Lance?” Lance almost chocked on his food. Adam wasn’t above beating around the bush.

“Which yeah I get why Shiro wasn’t close to me or tried, we have nothing in common and any of us could’ve died at any point. And shiro did so it hurt less those months after when he was gone, Keith had the worse of it.” Lance began to eat avoiding Shiro’s glare.

Adam stared at Shiro “You died?”

Lance glanced up from eating “Oh is this not common knowledge?”

Shiro glare was fixated on him “It was not.”

Lance leaned back “Oh I’m sorry I wasn’t aware that you were keeping secrets from your fiancé.”

Adam narrowed his eyes “Your lying, the others told me you and Shiro were close. Shiro…remembers things of you two being friends.”

Lance mouth fell open he glanced at Shiro “I- since when- what about?”

Panic, no don’t panic everything’s fine.

“Just you being there, when I needed someone to talk to- we played dnd.”

Lance eyes watered, he couldn’t he couldn’t remember.

“Lance, I can’t help but feel as if there’s something your not telling me.”

Lance swallowed.

There were tons of things he never told Shiro.

He narrowed his eyes, mentally pulling himself back.

“Nothing happened, you were just killing time as the others were busy.”

“Bullshit.” Adam infuriated and Lance glanced his way, he had to say, he respected Adam and seemed to want the best for Shiro.

But he was being such a pain in the neck about it.

“I’m sorry but both of you here started this interrogation with me first, I’m not going to sit here and play nice when I could’ve had lunch with Hunk or kinkade.”

“Your being awfully defensive for someone who didn’t do anything wrong.” Adam crossed his arms looking as if he gained the upper hand. Lance clenched his fists.

“Yeah? Well if I’m lying to Shiro, we’re both withholding information. But at least I don’t gain anything from it.” Lance looked Adam up and down.

Adams stared, his hands clenching.

“Gained? What do you mean?”

Lance continued to stare at Adam his eyes narrowed.

“Where’s your engagement ring, Adam?” He asked innocently.

Adams face slackened with shock then darkened, his eyes narrowing into slits. Lance stood up “I’ll let you guys sort this out amongst yourselfs.”

“Also, Adam. You tell Shiro why you don’t have his engagement ring then I’ll talk about why I’m avoiding both of you.”

“Adam and Shiro are having a lovers spat.”

“Crow Lance, what did you say to them?”

“Yeah adams cool.”

“He’s a liar.”

“What.”

“He’s lying to Shiro, they broke up two weeks before Kerberos.”

“And how would you know.”

“Because he told me.”

The others didn’t look believing so he directed the next question at Keith “Seriously Keith why would he only take you to see the ship to Kerberos, Katie you were there two. You would think Adam would’ve accompanied you.”

Both looked silent recalling that time, all staff had a break, there was no reason for Adam to not be present.

“Why would he tell you?”

“We we’re alone in space what else could we have talked about, Katie and Hunk were busy with their navigations map and colour coding it and Allura and Lotor were two busy making out. We both paired of and talked since there was nothing left to do.”

It was one month, one month later and once lance’s duties were over and he no longer had anything else to do. They were ready for any galra attack.

Lance stay at his desk staring at the photo there, it had been one month since his shiro died.

He exhaled a shaky breath, he never forgot in every moment when he was with his friends he would think.

“Shiros died.”

In his classroom he would begin the lesson until a blunt thought “Shiro is gone.”

For months small words would repeat disrupting any moment he had.

And now, now it all came crashing down.

He took the photo, the only one of Shiro with his arm around LanceMs shoulder.

He removed the picture and placed the frame straight down.

He couldn’t do this.

He stood up marching towards the door, he thought he could wait until the war ended but from past experiences he might never get the chance, there was a lull now so he might as well take this opportunity.

“Where’s Lance?”

Iverson glanced towards Shiro “Oh, he’s gone out for a bit.”

“But what if the Galra attacked?”

“That boy has been working non stop, and he’s not out of bounds from the garrison. He’s just taking a breathing before anything happens. By god does he need it.”

Shiro pressed his lips together “Is he going to be alone?”

“I think so? He��s going by Green river, he’s not that far out.”

“I’ll go out, I don’t think we should separate at this point in time.”

“Take care.”

And that’s how Shiro found him, he exited the garrison rover and tread carefully towards Lance, he saw he was sitting on a log illuminated by the fire he was in front off.

Shiro peered over his shoulder and his mouth fell open to see the photo in Lance’s hands.

It was the two of them, and they looked…close.

Lance was lost in thought and didn’t appear to notice Shiro was there.

Shiro cleared his throat and Lance jumped turning instantly eyes flashed in panic.

And shiro soon realised this was a mistake. Lance’s eyes were red rimmed and his face tear strained.

“Shiro- I what are you doing here?” Lance quickly looked away scrubbing his face. Shiro walked over tentatively and sat on Lance’s left.

“I heard you went out, none of us should be left alone right now.”

He stared at Lance then the photo, he had no clue if he should bring it up. But he was deadly curious.

“Lance…you told Adam you were both lying to me. But that you had a good reason, the others wouldn’t fill me in on what the clone was doing, there’s…gaps in the story and things I remember that doesn’t make sense.”

Lance was slowly hunching in on his shoulders.

“Lance I don’t know what’s going on…and I can’t help but feel like I’ve hurt you- did- did the clone do something?”

No! No god no he didn’t…

…Lance talk to me here, I want to help.

Lance clenches the photo and exhales.

He raised his hand and removes the chain around his neck. The chain he’s always fiddling with.

And there dangling from the chain, was the ring of Mordor.

Or Shiro hoped it was or rather wished it to be since it was none other than Adams engagement ring.

Shiros throat ran dry “Why- why do you have that.”

“You and Adam separated two weeks before the Kerberos mission.”

Lance began his tone devoid of emotion his eyes staring at the fire.

“You kept it in the arena. The one thing giving you hope, it pushed you to work out, memorise the patterns of guards planning your escape you kept it with you until that last fight with Zarkon. Your body disappeared and this remained in the cockpit, you see we needed a new paladin and we all went in to see if she woupd respond. On my way out, I saw the ring on the floor.

I planned on giving it to Keith at the right time when he…when he wasn’t as hurt about you being gone. But then you came back- but it wasn’t you and I thought it was.

I gave him the ring and he said “Keep it, you seem to be the only constant here,” since y’know Keith left, Pidge went to find her brother, Hunk was cooking all sorts into his food. You thought I’d keep it safe.”

He passed it over and Shiro took it, his hand clasping around the chain still warm from Lance’s neck.

“And that’s it.”

“Your lying.”

Lance looked shocked as Shiro looked up “You wouldn’t be here, and keep this from me from so long of that was it.”

Lance opened his mouth and shut it’s looked away fiddling with his hands, unable to fidget with anything back. Shiro almost gave Lance back the chain out of pity.

“He promised me it.”

“What?”

“The clone. He said- as soon as we get to earth I’m going to put that ring on your finger.”

The silence stretched on, only disrupted by the occasional snap from the fire and embers spitting from the flames.

Shiro took a long breath then exhaled.

“All this time- you didn’t say anything?”

“How could I? You did Amy remember, I was going to wait to see if you figured it out on your own but- then you saw Adam. And you forgot about the break-up and you- god Shiro you were so happy. After everything you’ve been through almost dying facing the Galra. How could I ruin that?”

“But what about you- were you never going to say anything? Stay silent while Adam and you lied behind my back.”

Lance sighed “I gave him a two week notice Shiro- we had Voltron and the atlas, none of us had time to deal with distractions.”

“But you would’ve been fine?” Shiro almost growled out beyond pissed at Adam, Lance but himself- for letting it drag out this long, for not confronting Lance that very first day.

“Shiro how can you even say for certain that what the clone was feeling was even you? What if it was a trick by the galra to get closer to the team? In what circumstance would you and I even…-“

Lance choked off covering his face, Shiro flinched alarmed as Lance began to sob, his shoulders shaking.

“How can I mourn you- when I see your face every day- and you just, you see right through me. I’m just Lance just someone who works with you from Voltron.”

Shiro reached out placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

“Lance, the others would’ve understood if you talked to them.”

Lance shook his head “Don’t you think I tried, they think the clone and you are separate that the clone was evil, and wasn’t a person.” Lance glanced down at the bag beside him.

“He doesn’t even have a grave.”

Lance leaned back wiping his face his throat dry “That’s why I brought this stuff, to burn. I wanted to bury something to have some sort of closure.”

Shiro hated to think that Lance was going through this alone, that no one knew.

“I do have some memories of that time, but not- it’s as if those ones that you and he had together is gone, or I can’t access them.”

“Maybe it’s because you're both too different. It’s not something you would’ve done.”

Lance talks about the objects Kuro got him, souvenirs from other planets a flute that sounds awful etc.

Lance turned the corner already dreading this, it was a flight test, if he failed to pass it then he wouldn’t qualify as a fighter pilot and work as an instructor.

Okay- breathe.

Lance gazed up at the flight craft. He crashed tons at the simulators. What if he crashes another time?

He could even hear Iverson talk to the others “Bear witness that no matter how bad you think you are you will never be as terrible as the demonstration we are about to see today.”

All of Lance’s nerves evaporated replaced with rage.

Okay-he can do this.

Lance stepped in the craft listening to the instructors asking the standard questions.

“Okay rescue mission for the Kerberos crew?” Lance glanced at Iverson “To be fair didnt I already do that by piloting the blue lion I came back with my team with Sam, Matt and Shiro respectfully.”

He couldn’t help the tease.

He turned on the thrusters and heard the thrum of the craft.

It was so…clunky. He had no idea how advanced Altean ships were till now.

It was like playing on a PlayStation 5 and then going back to a PlayStation 2 with the old games.

Lance called of his flight pattern hitting the buttons and then…zones out.

It wasn’t until after when he landed the ship, as he stepped out the simulator and saw all the stunned faces. Lance smirked.

He was a fighter pilot afterall.

__________________________________________________________

What I wanted from Voltron; -Bayard Upgrades/Voltron upgrades.

Zarkon in season one showed what it could be and how advanced (and how pathetically weak Voltron was) in comparison the only reason they won is blind luck and Zarkon being blind-sided by the black lion.

-Lotor being the moriarty to Keiths Sherlock's talent BUT since he's not blind-sided is able to pinpoint Voltrons weakness. Without Shiro Keith is a good pilot but not a good thinker, Lance is able to help.

-An Altean flashback, showing Allura tinkering with machines along with Alfor and Corans father who helped build the lions. And so it would make sense that she could create more things after going to the Oriande planet but learning more about Altea, flowers, food, cuisine, and seeing the absolute scale of it lost?

-Lotor's wishy washy villain/morally grey arc. So the planet with all the alteans he used as batteries? Wasn't a thing. The Alteans were dying, and Lotor was trying to cure them by getting close to Allura a pure altean and using her body to cure his people. Then he fell in love didn't have the heart to ask her and decided another way to help his people oriande was the ticket he needed but after he failed he clung tighter to Allura as she was the only way to save them.

-Have the rift that was open leaking out monsters the one in season seven who was invisible- the dragon hypnotising the mermaids- the black ghibli beast that the OG paladins took down-and keith mentioning how something was consuming planets was unnatural. Hagger wanted to control the beasts herself the very things that possesed her- the mermaid queen being controlled by something would've been the perfect foreshadowing that HAGGER was possesed by the anti-quintescenece that made her/Zarkon evil.

-The Druids SHOULD'VE been Alteans who had betrayed their own kind to stand with the Galrans, Romelle should've been a druid who betrayed Haggar and joined Zarkon but she and Kuron [Shiro's clone] would've worked together.

-Keith should've had a bonding moment with his mother. Not have a magical comment downloading her memories in his head convient-like.

-Keith should have been there on the castle- OR someone should've had a moment when they realised Kuron WASN'T Shiro. Just something he said that would make them realise it was defiently not him. And Keith should have figured it out for himself not have the SAME comet download that information in his brain...like just tell him everything else hell- The BIFUR Shiro hated should have exposed Shiro!

Just a "Hi, Slav had a good day, want to ride in the Black Lion with me?"

"...He's being nice to me- that's an imposter!"

"Yeah Shiro couldn't STAND SLAV he goes out of his way to avoid him!"

-Have it where Voltron since it came from the rift would have to be sacrificed and since Allura's life-force is tied to the lions has a little jumpscare when she gets hurt. The same medicine they used to save the alteans research by Lotor and Allura is what saves her in the end.

-Why are the Alteans sick? They are sensitive to cosmic energies the rift is polluting and affecting the Alteans as well as their own planet being cut off. Yes the are a good source for batteries BUT it would be interesting if Galrans were used as well hence why a failure of that kind turns them into robo-beasts.

-Have Lance be an instructor, with Voltron gone [a statue in it's place] theirs no need for the Paladins, Keith continues with the Blade of Mamoura, while Hunk and Pidge and Allura experiment and get Humans up to speed for intergalactic etc-

-Lotor sacrifices himself, he pilots Voltron alone into the rift, truthfully he wasn't supposed to be alive, Hagger manipulated quintescenece for his birth but both his parents lost sight of that as the years went by [Which hold up, Allura was like we've been asleep for THOUSANDS of years how is Lotor even alive? was he conveieved only twenty years ago? What happened to Zarkon/Hagger in those twenty years the frick?]

-Have Shiro/Kurons memories meld together and Shiro is kinda losing his mind not knowing what is/isn't real. Hence the flashbacks of Adam on earth.

-Adam and Shiro don't get together, it would've been a refreshing take that not all relationships work out. Adam is upset because well Shiro went out there and got abducted by aliens. He told him so. Adam doesn't die he just focuses on his MFE pilots, while Shiro deals with his.

-Since Hunk/Pidge/Allura are busy, and Keith and Shiro work with Iverson, he joins the MFE pilots along with Kinkade and then introduces THEM to all the alien jargon they have to learn like Bulmaras, crystals, how Altean crafts work, what it was like fighting the galra. It'd be better if Lance went back on his simulations/training and improved leaps and bounds- only for Iverson to say if the worst Pilot in the world can defeat the Galra this will be easy!

-Ever since Keith left Voltron it went downhill. The guy was supposed to be the main character and yet he was just on the sidelines other than action scenes and the blind luck parts, nothing was planned or done on purpose. It's like he wasn't even there.

-How can Pidge have more development/plot when they are only one character of Voltron, meanwhile Shiro, Lance, Allura, Hunk and sometimes even KEITH's plotlines were just ignored or rushed it felt like PIDGE LEGENDARY DEFENDER more than Voltron.

-To this day i STILL don't get what bonding with Lions mean. At this point in time with the lion swap/a clone of Shiro anyone can pilot it if they think hard enough.

-The fact that more multi-verse arcs didn't happen is a crime. We get ONE Sven and pff nothing else.

-The Bulmera Episode with Hunk and the Mermaid Episode with Lance was the only times both characters had moments to shine but never had that ever again which sucked as that was the reason I kept watching.

-Re-watching Voltron and realising it wasn't a found family, but a group of work collegues who were just dying to clock out at the end of the shift and go home and never speak to each other ever again -_-

_____________________________________________________________

...It's 2024 and I'm still salty.

#Season 8 #season #8 #fanfiction #fanfic-fix-it #fix #it #fan #fic #Voltron #VLD #voltron legendary defender #Voltron 2018 #2018

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autisticlancemcclain · 1 year ago

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part one

Shifting gears – Keith was about to tear him a new one, when Shiro says sound off you sound off – but froze when he looked out the window, following Lance’s gaze.

Marching towards them, in numbers Keith couldn’t pretend to count, was an army.

— — —

“Well,” said Hunk, holding Allura in both arms, “that looks bad.”

Shiro snorted. “Thank you, Hunk.”

“Anytime.”

Keith wanted to snap at them both. What time was it to laugh? They were injured, mostly defenseless, castle crashed. The Lions still sat, unusable, in their hangers. Hopefully they were okay, but it wasn’t like anyone could go check. Keith could barely even feel Red’s presence in the back of his mind – that stupid new Empire toy had drained them. It was frightening. And Hunk and Shiro were making jokes?

But Keith couldn’t find the words to chew them out. Instead, his voice was caught in his throat as he looked on the slowly advancing army with wide eyes and tense shoulders.

The advancing army was…trees.

That’s what it looked like, anyways. Rows and rows of rough bark and quietly swaying leaves, advancing in formation. A large black bird flew, cawing, above them. Keith tried not to think about omens.

“Did a forest come to life?” Pidge muttered, squinting. Keith was relieved she was seeing the same thing. Keith has been in space a long time, at this point, but this was like nothing he had ever seen before. This didn’t look like a people in any way he understood. They were alive, surely, their movements organic in fluid in a way non-living things couldn’t quite manage, but his eyes were not deceiving him, and in front of him was a bunch of moving trees. As he watched, they advanced slightly further, stopped, and froze.

And then, slowly, they morphed.

Out of the bark, people seemed to…melt? Was that the right word? The trees planted themselves on the beach as if they’d always been there, as if the giant ocean was simply a lake beside a forest, and the bark of each plant seemed to shimmer, to shift. Humanoid figures took form, with skin like wood and hair like moss and leaves, eyes dark and old and knowing. Little saplings hid behind the sweeping dirt skirts of giant, older trees, giggling amongst themselves. Tiny droplets of water shined in dots on dozens of brown faces, glittering on brows and lips and noses like diamond piercings. Vines wreathed around torsos like tailored clothing.

Above them, Lance gasped. It was a quick, near-silent sound, one Keith only noticed because he was watching Lance from his peripherals anyway.

“Dryads,” he whispered, unmistakably excited, and before anyone could get so much as a word in he scrambled down the control board, careened down the bridge, and sprinted his way out the exit.

“No, what are you – Lance!” Hunk shouted, the first to react. He handed a still-unconscious Allura off to Coran, who took her with a wide-eyed, confused expression.

“Number Two, what is –”

“I am going to burn your Percy Jackson books,” Hunk seethed, already stomping out after Lance. He scooped up his blue helmet on his way and shook it at the door. “You hear me, Leandro? Burn them! Head outta the clouds, that’s an army!”

Keith was quick to follow. The rest of the team fell in step behind him, jogging after Lance.

Outside was…well, it startled him.

He’d seen it on the way down, of course. But he hadn’t been focused, really, hadn’t taken the time to map it past what the air currents felt like, past a safe (ish) place to land. The beauty of it now knocked the breath out of him. The ocean was almost crystalline, it was so clear and blue. Keith could smell it even through his helmet, the salt, the sea, and something Keith couldn’t recognise. Every rock on the seashore shone in the bright golden sun, glittering like encrusted jewellery. Down the beach, where the rocks gave way to beach, the sand was bright brilliant white; hard, actually, to look at. On Keith’s other side was a rolling, sage green meadow, peppered with wildflowers so familiar Keith almost felt he could name them. He saw dozens of fruit trees, all different kinds, so ripe and rich his mouth watered. He was nowhere near enough to smell them, but the fruits were so plump and colourful that every instinct curled up in every corner in his head begged him to gorge himself to coma. Even the army in front of him, the rows and rows of stern tree warriors – dryads, Lance had called them – couldn’t stir wariness in Keith’s heart. His shoulders relaxed without his say-so.

One of the warriors stepped forth. She was wide-set, tall, and the ground trembled with every step. Her eyes were dark as murky green pond depths. Deep gauges lined her face, most from the pattern of the bark that made up her skin, but many that disrupted the pattern; rough, torn scars, one right through her right eye.

“State your business,” she said, voice rough as sandpaper.

No one said anything. The awe Keith felt was reflected in his friends, wonder rendering them mute.

“You’re dryads,” said Lance softly. He stepped forward, Hunk’s hand falling from his shoulder. “Tree spirits.”

The tree-woman nodded. “If that’s what your people call us, child. Here, we’re Aegians, Last Guardians of Marmaro. And we ask again – name yourselves.”

Her army raised their weapons as she spoke. Sharp, pointed weapons, some of hardened stone, some of crystal and marble, some of the same wood that made up their flesh. One even had shards of metal attached to a complicated string of vine.

“We are Paladins of Voltron,” Shiro said, finally, hands held up in peace. He moved slowly up from next to Pidge, eyes never leaving the Aegian leader, until he finally stood in front of her, arm loosely circling Lance’s elbow, tugging him gently back. “We come in peace. Our ship was attacked by the Galran Empire, and we barely made it out intact. We apologise for any damage.”

“I’m not sure ‘intact’ is the right word,” murmured the Aegian leader, glancing quickly at their smoking ship, “but regardless. You are here now. I am Dryope, and I grant you asylum, as is my birthright.” She said the name like dry-oh-pay, but with a lilt to her vowels Keith couldn’t replicate even in his own head.

Dryope stood to her full height – which, ho-lee – and struck her staff twice on the rock on which she stood. Immediately, the army fell back, weapons sheathed, postures loosened.

“Aegians!” she called, and every single tree-warrior stood to attention. “The Paladins of Voltron have come to us. We shall extend our hospitality to them, as dictated in the Ancient Laws.” She turned to them for a moment, contemplating. “Seven households come forward. Our guests are to be fed, clothed, and cared for. Who shall claim the honour?”

Keith exchanged a look with Hunk, shifting uncomfortably. Seven households? They were in no position to complain, but on all the planets they’ve visited before, they’ve never been housed separately. To speak up would surely insult their hosts – but was it safe to split up? They were injured and exhausted – if their hosts proved malevolent, they would be almost powerless individually. Allura was still out, Lance for sure had a head injury, Keith was, now that he noticed, breathing laboriously. A quick glance beside him revealed an odd angle to Pidge’s wrist, probably sprained, and Hunk shifted every couple of seconds like he could not stand comfortably. Shiro favoured his left leg. Only Coran stood tall and strong, Allura held protectively in his arms – but Keith knew better. (He will never, as long as he lives, forget the way the man collapsed, ashen and unresponsive, right at his spot at the castle’s controls. The rest of them had just been deemed healthy enough to fight again after falling ill to Deadman’s Spots, fevered and covered in sores and wasting away. Only Coran had been spared – or so they thought. They had almost lost him.) Coran could have a shard of bone sticking out of his leg and none of them would know.

They could not afford to refuse the help.

The gathered army rippled and shifted as people answered Dryope’s call. One by one more Aegians pushed their way to the front, until seven stood just behind their leader, shoulder to shoulder, chins raised proudly.

“We have space for the injured girl,” spoke the first Aegian. She stepped forward, and she didn’t look like a warrior at all – the smile on her face was soft and welcoming. She was much stouter than Dryope, and and her eyes held the same maternal kindness that Shiro’s often did, deep and black and understanding. The lined pattern that made up her bark was softer, lining her face like smile lines. Thousands of branches twisted and grew out of her waist, resembling the tangled roots of the biggest tree in the forest. Clinging to her branch-skirt were at least four little saplings, young and reedy, peeking their wide eyes out behind their mama’s hips. She smiled wider, hands outstretched, and Keith had to stop himself from walking into them himself.

“Yes,” said Dryope, nodding at her. Her face went oddly soft, smiling at the maternal woman. When she turned back to face the team, her face morphed back into its impassive expression. “Paladins, Rhea and her family will house your injured girl. She will be well cared for – Rhea has nursed and watched many in her time.”

“Come,” beckoned Rhea, almost interrupting Dryope. The leader didn’t seem to mind. “Bring her to me, she must be laid comfortably.”

Coran walked forward, handing Allura to her gently. It spoke volumes to her character that Coran approached her at all, let alone that he pressed a quiet kiss to his charge’s forehead and stepped away.

“She is only tired,” he said softly. “Not injured. She needs rest, and perhaps food.”

“I will see to it. Come, children.” With a sweep of her skirts echoing like a bamboo broom, she walked back through the ranks, saplings clinging to her back like baby monkeys.

Next, an elderly man stepped forward. He was hunched, gnarled fingers curled around the haft of a sharp wooden trident that resembled Dryope’s staff. Despite his limp, he walked with dignity, and when he lifted his chin to face Coran, his eyes were bright.

“Have you space, Father?” murmured Dryope.

He nodded. “Always.”

Using his trident as a walking stick, he strode toward Coran, standing beside him. Coran, ever the diplomat, smiled slightly, and began speaking with him too quietly for Keith to hear. Both men, he noticed, seemed to stand the same way, although he couldn’t explain what that meant. It was just – vibes, he supposed. An energy.

“By the Sky, Mother, how long is this going to take?”

Startled by the abrupt change in tone, Keith jumped, turning towards the man who spoke. He was taller than anyone on the team, although shorter than most of the other Aegians, and covered himself with leaves that looked deliberately sewn rather than grown. His smile was wide and white and what Keith could only describe as shark-like.

But what was most striking was his skin. The dark lines of patterns that covered it had Keith thinking he was as Aegian as the rest of them, made of tree bark, but then he blinked and realised – they were merely marks, or tattoos. Unlike the rest of the Aegians, this man had skin, this man was –

Lance gasped. “You’re — human!”

“Half,” the man corrected, chuckling. He swept forward and delicately grabbed Lance’s hand in one of his, pressing a kiss just above his wrist. Lance blushed up to his hairline. “My name is Peitho. I was born here, on Aegis. My father was a lost human explorer. I have never been to earth. But human genes…” He looked Lance up and down, grinning charmingly. “I’ve always felt they’re very dominant.”

Lance, obviously pleased with the attention, warmed up quick. He walked over, reaching up to brush the hair out of Peitho’s eyes, touch lingering. Like they were friends or something. Keith ground his teeth so hard you could hear it from the ship’s smoking engine room.

“I thought…I‘ve never seen a human in space. I thought we were alone, up here.”

Peitho laughed, full-bodied and bright, like the sound of a smoothly rumbling engine. His handsome face creased lightly as he laughed, emphasizing newly-formed smile lines, which only made him more beautiful, not less. Lance smiled widely along with him. “Oh, my dear,” he said, turning that charming grin full blast on Lance, “you are never alone.”

Keith thought his jaw might crack. What a sleazeball. No wonder Lance liked him so much.

“The introductions need not drag on,” Peitho said grandly, sweeping his arm out like he was in charge or something. His other arm was around Lance’s shoulders. “Akeso, Dysnomia, Elatreus, meet with your paladins. They are hungry, and likely tired from travel. The sooner we have them rested, the sooner they can partake in our welcoming festivities. Right, Mother?”

Dryope nodded, looking a mix of annoyed and amused. “Yes, you embodiment of impertinence.”

As ordered by the embodiment of impertinence, three Aegians stepped forward. The first – who must be Akeso, a tall, reedy person with willowy locs falling to their shoulders, who held no weapon – approached Shiro, nodding tersely. Keith felt his brother match the terseness, stiffening.

(Internally, Keith winced – could his brother not get someone who smiled, maybe? Akeso was probably fine, but, yeesh. There was once a time when Shiro laughed more than anyone else Keith knew. Sometimes maniacally, on two hours of sleep. But he heard it so rarely now.)

The second Aegian, Dysnomia, approached Pidge. Like the Green Paladin, she was short as shit. Keith met his friends eyes and snickered at her. The murderous look he got would make him more nervous if he, as Lance so often liked to gripe, had a bone of impulse control in his body. (Rich coming from him, but. Whatever. It wasn’t like Keith could argue.) The third, Elatreus, was absolutely, one hundred percent, the coolest Aegian Keith had seen so far. Holding an intricately crafted crossbow and with a shoulder width approximately the size of a small mountain, he lumbered over to Hunk. He held out his fist. Hunk wasted no time bumping with his own. Keith would be jealous if Hunk didn’t deserve it so bad.

“Oh,” said Peitho, after a moment. “Of course, there is one more. Ares!” He gestured with half as much enthusiasm at Keith. “Your guest.”

Keith stilled. From behind Dryope, the last Aegian host stepped forward. His pale, papery bark was gnarled and scared, bulky, and – stained, it looked like, all the way up the arms. His face was more impassive that Dryope’s, expressionless, except for the slightest of sneers. Resting on one shoulder was a massive club, three times the size of Keith’s head at its tip. Like his host’s arms, it was stained.

Keith forced himself to meet his stare. His host had eyes red as pomegranates – well. Eye. The right side of his face, like the rest of the Aegians, was humanoid. The left side looked like it had – looked like someone had clawed out his eye, leaving a gaping, half-healed knot of a scar.

Ares.

Keith wasn’t familiar with a lot of myths. But he knew what namesake his Aegian host bore – Ares, god of war, god of pain, god of hardened warriors and battlefield and bloodshed.

Fitting, hissed a voice in his mind. Keith curled his fists and ignored it.

“Paladin,” nodded Ares, taking his place next to him.

Keith swallowed. “Ares.”

“That, I believe, is everyone,” said Dryope. “Paladins, please follow your hosts. They will bring you to their homes and ensure you have somewhere to rest. At sundown, we shall reconvene at the hearth, eat, and make merry. Please –” she spread her hands, “enjoy our island. I will see you all shortly.”

She cracked her staff once on the ground. Immediately, her army parted for her, following her in formation once she marched through. Many of them returned to their tree form. It was still strange to watch.

Keith jumped as a hand reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Shiro smiled slightly at him, squeezing again before letting go.

“See you soon, kiddo.”

He followed his host, leaving Keith to realise he was the last still gathered in the shadow of their crashed castle. The eyeless Aegian stood next to him, hands resting on his club, watching him curiously.

Keith cleared his throat. “Um, we can go.”

The Aegian continued to stare. Keith shifted uncomfortably, fighting the urge to draw his bayard. That would certainly not help. Things were precarious enough.

“You do not trust us,” his host observed. His one remaining eye was unblinking, holding Keith’s stare until his own eyes burned and he had to blink.

“No,” Keith admitted. It wasn’t that he was scared of the Aegians, per se, but he was wary of them in the same way he was wary of the Blades of Marmora. He recognised their strength, their power, and knew from the way Dryope stood that she was keeping a lot of information to herself. Any group that kept secrets was impossible to trust, at least by Keith’s standards. He suddenly wished he had been paying attention enough to watch Pidge, Lance, and Hunk leave with their hosts, to make sure they were armed.

His host shrugged. “Wise, probably. I would have no trust in your position.”

He started to walk over the rocks, and Keith followed. It was no accident that the Aegian kept Keith on a diagonal to him, visible from his right side. Keith did his best to keep himself in his line of sight.

“You wouldn’t?”

“Do I look like I would?”

“I don’t know how to answer that diplomatically.”

To Keith’s great surprise, his host huffed a laugh. A slight smile upturned Keith’s own lips.

“Fair.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Off the beach and across the meadow, in a deep, round valley, there was a sprawling village. Small, large-bricked buildings dotted hills and lay nestled at the edge of small farms. Dead centre of the valley was a giant fire pit, gently lit, and surrounding it in a perfect circle were several larger buildings in the same style. Keith recognised many of the buildings as temples.

“This way,” Keith’s host said, beckoning him forward. He turned off the main path and walked along the edge of the hill. Keith teetered after him, trying desperately to keep his balance. He was reminded how hard it was to breathe with bruising around his ribcage, how tired he was. But he kept his mouth clenched tightly closed, unwilling to look weak.

They walked far past the centre circle, past outer circles, past even the farthest of farmhouses. In crossing one of them, the man stopped, Keith nearly walking right into him, and waited for several moments. He bent over as a tiny little boar came galloping to the edge of the fence on runty little legs, smiling as he scratched the thing between its tusks. Keith couldn’t help but notice the blood covering the sharp, portraying bones, as if the animal had just recently hunted.

“Hey, Kyknos. Good to see you.”

He pet the boar for a few more minutes, then wordlessly started walking again. Keith had to jog to keep up, tired from the hike so far.

“That, uh, your pet?”

“No.”

Keith waited. No more information came forth.

“Oo-kay, then.”

There was a Lance in his head that was laughing at him, bringing up every one-word answer of Keith’s that had frustrated the Blue Paladin to twitching eyes. Keith scowled.

Finally, the host stopped at a house. Keith felt he would nearly faint with relief, beyond ready to lay down his head, wariness or not.

“This your place?” Keith asked, panting.

His host raised his eyebrow, pushing open the door.

“No,” he deadpanned, “this is my annoying neighbour’s house. He’s on holidays. I’m staying here and using all his things to take revenge for hours of small talk.”

“Oh,” Keith replied, impressed. “Cool.” He’ll have to do that next time Lance is on a solo mission.

“No, I’m – I’m kidding, Paladin.”

“Oh,” Keith repeated, disappointed. “Less cool.”

“Just – get in the house.”

Keith didn’t argue. He followed his host into the small building, nodded as he was pointed to a guest room, and passed out the second his head hit the straw-stuffed pillow.

— — —

part three

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pidges-lost-robot · 2 years ago

Text

Oh man I have a fucking start for a Lance bi arc in my head but like no energy to write the full thing so I'm just gonna type it in notes here

So Lance does like chat to alien girls on their missions and he goes on dates with them (in my head I don't think the Paladins should be strictly confined to only ever being in the castle, like they can make friends and call people and visit planets and shit)

So they have a mission where they are tasked with protecting an alien Prince and Lance is assigned to be his main body guard and throughout this Lance kinda notices how handsome the Prince is and the Prince seems to be flirting with him. Throughout this they bond a lot and after a few days of this and an attack from the people trying to assassinate the Prince, it kinda becomes clear that the Prince quite likes Lance and Lance quite likes the Prince back.

The Prince thanks Lance for being his bodyguard and as the other lions are flying back to the castle, the Prince stops Lance and leans down a little to kiss him on the cheek and he gets super flustered and says he can't wait to see him again. When Lance gets into the lion, he realises the comm is screeching at him to respond and the others are asking him what's taking him so long. He says nothing but Pidge and Hunk clock that he's nervous and complain about how he could've possibly had the time to get distracted by a girl.

Later coran comes up to him to let him know that the Prince sent him his call details for Lance and initially he's quite nervous but coran says he won't say anything but not because he quite understands the human context sexuality being difficult to talk about but cause he thinks the others will never let him live it down if he starts dating a Prince.

So, as a side plot to this, Keith has galra hearing and has spent most of the show so far that he can hear everything Lance does in his room (mostly cause Lance sings a lot in his room at ungodly hours) so soon after Lance starts having call dates with the Prince, Keith hears it and feels bad that he's listening in on some pretty romantic and serious convos so he asks for ear plugs from Coran. Coran briefly worries about how much Keith knows but realises his concern seems to just be invading Lance's privacy and leaves it alone.

As the secret relationship continues, Lance begins to feel guilty for not telling anyone on the team. His fear is not that they'll reject him, most of the group identify as queer. But even thinking about telling them makes him feel nauseous. Coran tries to implore Lance that telling them won't end badly.

Lance begins acting more withdrawn from the group as a result.

Hunk is worried about him and gets in his head about it, getting Pidge to check out the call logs he has. He doesn't know who's on the other end cause he's not willing to push that far but they theorise its a girlfriend. But this seems to be the longest he's had a relationship so far and he's never hidden girlfriends from them before and they're concerned but also a little hurt themselves. Shiro finds out they've snooped and gets Allura to block their access and sits them both down for a talk about not snooping but talks with Allura about this because he's also pretty concerned about Lance too. She states its probably not for them to pry but maybe make a concerted but very obvious set of interactions of Lance that are like "well because you know you can ALWAYS CONFIDE IN US right Lance?"

It begins to affect their ability to form Voltron and as a fight is coming to a close and everyone is super frustrated and bickering it all comes out, started with Hunk blurting that this is cause Lance is hiding his secret girlfriend from everyone.

They're all yelling and putting pieces together (with Keith chipping in with a quiet and very confused ".... wait what?")

Lance goes to storm off and hide in his room, Pidge and Hunk realise they've messed up pretty bad and made things worse and Shiro and Allura don't know what to do.

A knock on Lance's door makes him yell to go away and that hes not telling them about his "secret girlfriend", but instead Keith opens the door, holding Lance's and his dinner and sets it down next to him before shutting the door again.

"I know you don't have a secret girlfriend, Lance, I know it's the Prince."

Lance is shocked but Keith goes on, explaining that he realised after he heard them talking through the wall and got earplugs to give them privacy but he realised that this was maybe something he hadn't come out about yet when he realised nobody but Coran knew.

Keith talks to him about when he came out to Shiro and how nervous he was, not because he feared shiro and his boyfriend would reject him for being gay, but because it felt like it'd change the way Shiro thought about him. Shiro would know he thought about relationships and had crushes and people he liked and it freaked him out.

This prompts Lance to explain that he's frustrated because he thought he knew who he was and what he liked. What's gonna happen if he's different from who he thought he was again? He can't even tell his family about any of this cause he figured it out away from Earth.

Keith says he isn't sure how to help, but that he's sorry he didn't realise they were snooping, but that for what it's worth, it just sounds like they were worried about how withdrawn he'd become recently, possibly resulting from him feeling guilty about hiding this. This is a side of Lance he's not used to seeing and this is a moment that contributes to Keith's later crush on Lance returning.

Keith let's him have his privacy about his food and once he's done he decides to come to the dining room to tell them about the Prince. Before he does, Hunk and pidge pauses him and both apologise and explain. They were worried but also let their hurt feelings get in the way and be a justification for prying into his private business and that they should've just talked to him and that he doesn't have to tell them anything or feel pressured to, because if he's not ready to or even if he just doesn't feel like it, then he shouldn't.

Lance accepts the apology and says while he's still a little mad, he kinda gets it. And he decides to tell them about the Prince, which is when Allura is flabbergasted by this and goes "THATS WHY THE ALLIANCE HAS GONE SO SMOOTHLY AND KEEPS ASKING WHEN WE'RE NEXT GOING TO BE THERE!!"

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uniquecellest · 1 year ago

Text

This is for my Klance people:

AU idea for when Allura becomes a Paladin. Lance has been dealing with his insecurities and spot on the team for a while before Allura became a Paladin and Lance always thought of taking a break from Voltron but never did until Allura. One night he tells the others that he's been having thoughts of just taking a break (Keith is not present). Pidge and Hunk try and get Lance to stay but Shiro interrupts saying that everyone has their own moments of rest and for Lance it's now until he's ready to come back in which the others will be waiting for him.

Lance leaves early the next morning, as everyone has already said their goodbyes (ne Keith because no one informed him). So at first Keith thinks Lance is just in his room in a depressive episode and goes to cheer him up only to find Lance nowhere in the Castle of Lions. It's then that Shiro realizes what happened and informs Keith, which ticks Keith off more that Lance told everyone but him.

Now here are two ways I can see it diverge:

1) with a small space pod from the Castle, Lance makes it back to Earth and (after the extreme quarantine) goes back to his piloting classes and even beats James and ends up becoming a protégé to Adam for MFE's. The two talk, and Adam helps Lance deal with being on Earth while the ones he cares about are in space. Then the Galra invade and Sendak remembers Lance from his time as Paladin and kidnaps him as bait for the others (Sendak also kidnaps Adam, Veronica, Rachel, Lisa, Marco, Luis, Nadia and Sylvio to bait Lance); so when the others find out the Earth has been invaded it stresses them out even more. When they get to base Sanda informs them that Lance's family that was captured along with Adam are considered dead. When inquired about it, Sanda shows them a video they received earlier that day of Lance being alive but any videos about Adam and Lance's family have stopped coming as quick as Lance got captured, which has been months with Colleen and Sam trying to think of ways to save them.

The Paladins still get on the ship with being captured themselves and Sanda still betraying them. Eventually they get free and who's shooting at them? Lance. Clearly, they think, he's under some mind control. Until he calls Keith mullet. Lance informs them that he has to do this. He has to fight his friends. Which Hunk, Allura, and Pidge are not happy about and are ready to fight. Even Shiro can't believe what he hears. Then they hear young children crying. The voices calling out to Lance that they're scared. Lance says he's got them. That he'll protect them until the end.

That's when it dawns on them that Lance is working with/for Sendak for his family (in which Sendak is hospitable - as he can be - to Lance's family so Lance doesn't turn on him and angering the other Paladins more). Sendak calls Lance back to him. Lance leaves a key for the other Paladins to get his family and Adam out. Once they're off the ship, Lance starts fighting Sendak and when Keith goes back to Lance because they can't leave him behind, the ship explodes. Lance didn't die though, his Paladin armor got some upgrades that's to Sam and survived the explosion.

Once they're all down on the ground the group celebrates.

Bonus: once the celebration of the Galra being gone and they survived Adam and Keith call out to Shiro and Lance respectfully in which Shiro and Lance look at each other due to the furry in Adam and Keith's eyes. Those two run, because Adam definitely was the one to teach Keith how to fight and Shiro never won in hand-to-hand combat with Adam. Ever. Or even verbal combat. Keith confronts Lance on leaving and not telling him. Keith doesn't have an issue with the fact he told everyone, he just wants to know why he was excluded. Lance admitted that his feelings for Keith at the time were being weird and he didn't know what was going on and he did want to tell Keith but with his confusing feelings he wasn't sure if telling Keith was the best idea. Lance then confesses that aside from their rivalry also being a friendship he was starting to see Keith in a romantic way and he wasn't sure if they were genuine or if it was because they were in space and Allura was the only girl - Lance considers Pidge a sibling so gross - so he needed time to clear his head. Keith inquires about Lance's current feelings for him, Lance admits that he does have romantic feelings for Keith still but he's going to start talking to someone so he can move on, leaving Keith confused so Lance informs him that he's sure that Keith, that he's sure Keith has no feelings for him whatsoever in which Keith tells Lance to shut up because yeah, Keith does love him and any minute that Lance wasn't there was torture and not knowing where or how he was was even worse and knowing Earht got invaded then Lance got captured to the brief moment that Keith thought Lance actually turned on them was worse than any hell could conjure up to torture him with.

Added bonus: Matt makes a comment about what Keith did in s4 ep 7 and Sam remarks when Adam was in his plane and nearly died and father and son remark how Adam and Keith did not seem to have a care in the moments leading up to their potential deaths so Shiro and Lance then and go scold their boyfriends for being idiots.

2) Lance still helps out in space but not in anything major to not overstep Voltron. He goes to some smaller planets/systems and typically stays for a few days after he's done helping sometimes a week. Eventually the other Paladins encounter him on a planet he's been staying on for the last several months, all the aliens on the planet are androgynous and hermaphroditic and there's this one person that Lance seems particularly close to. Keith has come to realize with Lance gone he loves him and vowed to tell him when he saw him next. But seeing him again and with a potential partner, Keith couldn't do that. Not to Lance or himself. So while Keith trains more to work off his jealousy so he can be around Lance and his partner. At some point Lance and Keith get to be alone and have a sunset moment and Keith, realizing how beautiful Lance looks in the setting sun, has to leave because if he doesn't he's going to ruin whatever little relationship he has with Lance. Lance gets irritated because Keith is running away, Keith remarks he's not the run who ran. Lance shoots back with what Keith have done had Lance not left? Besides Keith never voiced to anyone else about leaving Lance did. Lance took a break he wasn't leaving Voltron forever but for Keith, all their adventures without Lance felt like a lifetime. The two continue to argue to which leads them rolling down a hill and kissing. Keith is stiff. Lance is frozen. Both enjoy the kiss but don't know how to progress. Keith goes back to his room in the Castle trying to process everything because while he enjoyed the kiss he could've practically ruined a relationship, one Lance actually seemed genuinely happy in and ruined even his own relationship with the former Paladin.

Meanwhile Lance goes back to his best friend on the planet that Keith mistook for Lance's partner. The bsf freaks when they hear Lance and Keith kissed amd congratulates Lance only for Lance to stop them. Despite having enjoyed the kiss Keith most likely didn't because he ran off.

The next morning Lance is seeing his friends off. "Have you made your mind up about coming back with us?" Wonders Allura.

Keith's head snaps up. Eyes now focused on the former Blue Paladin. "You're.. . . . You're joining us again?"

"N-not this time. But I'm sure I'll be joining you guys again soon." With that everyone but Keith and Lance hug and say goodbye. Just days after Team Voltron leaves another alien species (not the Galra) invade as they have had rocky balance remaining peace between the two alien species. Lance gets into his former armor sending a distress signal that instantly goes to the Castle. However, something goes wrong so Team Voltron doesn't get the distress signal until months after so when they go back the planet is completely demolished. The kind species and Lance are nowhere to be found. Hunk is the one to find the piece of armor that Lance sent the signal with but there's no Lance. It looks as if there are no survivors. They then come across some guards from the invasive species that is keeping the kind one as slaves. The kicker? Lance is set to marry the heir to the throne to keep a peace between the two as he is a Paladin and to them a Paladin is as good as royalty. Everyone else tries to volunteer to take Lances place but since Lance offered first he is the one to be Wed. The only thing that can stop it is if they find a rare item (gem, flower, etc) that shows true love. It glows differently for different people. They go and find it. When Keith touches it is glows red and blue.

Meanwhile, Lance is in his own separate room from the heir having doubts. Yes, he came up and still plans on going through with the marriage however, he can't help but think of Keith when he pictures himself getting married. The heir uses magic to spy on Lance and sees Keith in his heart. Frustrated the heir slips a love potion into Lance's drink at dinner and Lance thinks he's been in love with heir this whole time. He gets excited to see his friends again and goes on and on about how fantastic the heir is. This crushes Keith. When Lance sees Keith holding the rare item he asks to hold it. It doesn't change. Team Voltron wants to stop the wedding but if their friend seems to be genuinely happy how can they? They don't want to seem selfish when Lance only asked for a break/space only to drag him back if he doesn't want to. Later, Hunk and Allura over hear the heir plotting to take out the kinder alien race which they want to put a stop to. In fear that the other members might find out their plot the heir grabs the others - Pidge from some of the techs, Coran with the cooks, Keith training with some of the fighters, and Shiro as he's just simply walking around - and throws them in a dungeon to prevent them from intervening at the wedding.

Cut to Lance with his bsf and the spare. They see the rare item and interested they ask to see it. That's when Lance notes it changing colors as his bsf and their lovers colors are a yellow-green color and lilac. That's when Lance gets informed of what the item really is. Taking it back, Lance goes to confront the heir. He asks the heir to hold the item. It goes from Lance's blue and red to pure obsidian - no room for any type of love in their heart. Lance is furious. Despite knowing that Keith is now his soul mate he's still under the love potion and still has love for the heir. The heir then makes Lance take the rest of the potion which makes him forget about everything and anyone else aside from the heir.

In their prison Team Voltron is frustrated in what to do. They need to escape but their cell is made up of lasers that could burn them easily if they try to escape. Keith doesn't care, even if Lance does genuinely care for the heir it's clear the heir does not return his feelings and wants to free Lance from a marriage that will eventually go down. Shiro has to stop him from being an idiot and getting hurt. Soon a sound similar to a bell chimes meaning that the first part prior to the actual ceremony for 'I do's' is about to start. Even if they were lucky enough to get out there was no way that they'd be able to make it to Lance in time. Just then the spare comes and sets them free with four speed bikes and they set off to the ceremony (Keith and the spare going at ungodly amount of speed).

In his room getting ready, Lance feels down and he doesn't know why; he loves the heir utterly and completely so why does it feel wrong? Because his friends and family aren't there? That's when his bsf talks about Keith. Lance is confused because why Keith? Yes they've gotten to a point of rivalry and friendship but why not bring up everyone else? Bsf then reminds Lance of everything Lance has ever mentioned about Keith. This infuriates Lance because if he ever did feel or Keith in the romantic way whatever happened to that? How did he stop and start falling for the heir? However, Lance starts feeling ill and that's when bsf realizes that Lance has been given a love potion and an exaggerous amount which his body is not handling well. Lance insists on going through with the wedding potion or no potion. At the altar, Team Voltron arrives just as the ceremony is getting started. Lance is happy to see his friends but they aren't happy to see the couple. Lance then starts hiccuping to the point that he passes out. The heir laughs and says that the only way Lance will wake is if the person his heart beats for kisses him. The heir looks smug as she taunts that Lance's heart only beats for them. The heir then kisses Lance on the lips which also solidifies their marriage. Lance doesn't wake, doesn't make a sound. The bsf, their lover, and most of Team Voltron looks at Keith. Keith kisses Lance's forehead begging for the former Paladin to wake up. Everything is still for a few moments, Keith thinking that the rare item got it wrong and that he and Lance aren't meant to be together. Lance then starts stirring and is confused about what is going on as the last thing he remembers is sending out the distress signal then offering the marriage of convenience. The heir is frustrated then starts telling the guards to take away the Paladins and start executing the kinder aliens. The spare then comes in and challenges the heir to a fight so the spare can take the throne. The heir laughs but accepts the challenge. The heir loses. In a irritated cry asks how the younger sibling what they plan to do with the other aliens. The now crowned heir remarks 'peace' and proposes to bsf.

Happy, Lance promises to come back for the big day. Which isn't that necessary since most things are already set up so they marry that day.

Afterwards, the two alien species start rebuilding the damaged planet with some guidance from Lance. As the Paladins get ready to say goodbye the newly wed couple starts saying goodbye to Lance, wondering if they could convince him to stay just a little bit longer. Keith, Pidge, and Hunk are confused that's when Lance reveals he's going with them again, if they don't mind. Pidge and Hunk tackle him to the ground happy to have their best friend/brother back. Lance informs them that he still doesn't remember much only offering the marriage: Shiro, Pidge and Hunk get a similar look on their faces as they know they're going to be teasing Keith for a l o n g time for the whole true love/soul mate thing. Keith gets irritated and starts chasing them to they can knock it off.

Later that evening when Lance is alone on the bridge he pulls out a small piece from the rare item still glowing red and blue, because Lance remembers most of what happened just not who kissed him. He decides to keep it to himself. Until he's sure both he and Keith are ready to talk about it. Shiro goes to the bridge and catches Lance with the piece. Lance then confides in Shiro most of what he's comfortable with (meaning the first drop of the love potion) Keith spots them and instead of joining starts eavesdropping. He hears them. That when Lance confesses to a gap in his memory of his bsf reminding him off all the things he said about Keith. And Shiro, like the big brother he is, calls Keith out for eavesdropping and forces the two alone together to talk.

Lance starts chasing Pidge and Hunk the next day for their teasing with Keith chases Shiro.

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