#the paladins are diet force sensitive

[ephemeralfuture]

In Which The Paladin Bond and The Force are the same [Part one]

Once again Voltron is on another Liberation spree.  Lance always likes them because he gets to see planets with people, grateful that they would no longer be enslaved by the Galra and most of those planets are blue and green with weird plants.  He’s fast in red, rushing through the air, engrossed in a firefight.  Hunk is close behind him, razing through Galra ships and destroying turrets.  It’s thrilling, it’s breathtaking- he loves it.  

Lance is standing outside of the red lion when he finishes off the last of the turrets and an inhabitant of the planet hobbles over to him, squinting curiously. 

“You, boy.” They say, “Do you feel the force?”

Lance blinks, Hunk’s joy is seeping into his skin.  Hunk is nearly done with his part of the mission. 

“The what?” Lance asks. 

“The force, boy.  Do you feel it?” The inhabitant walks closer.  They are short and vaguely female. 

“What’s the force?” Lance asks, “Lady what are you talking about?”

The Alien Lady leaps and grabs his whole head and helmet, yanking him down to her level before he can react.  Lance is kneeling before this Lady and her eyes are closed.  

“Whoa whoa-” 

 “shh-” The lady hushes him, and she’s eerily still.  Hunk must be calm now because he doesn’t feel much once another explosion sounds in the distance. 

“Listen.” She says and Lance decides to humor her and he closes his eyes, mirrors her expression. 

Suddenly his insides are thrumming, the very ground pulses like a heartbeat.  The Universe is crying out and buzzing like a live wire.  There are memories, thousands of them flashing across his eyelids in a split second of thought and when Lance opens his eyes again he’s sweating and dizzy and gasping. 

“There. Boy. That’s the force.” She says, and she’s smiling at him cryptically.  The Paladin Bond is buzzing frantically, pulsing and vibrating along with the rest of the Universe. 

“What in the fuck was that?” Lance demands and he hates to be rude, but the the heartbeat pulsing that the planet is making is making him increasingly panicky. 

“The force runs through everything, a field created by all living things.  It runs through me and it runs through you.  You have felt it.  The binding of the Universe.  You have been using it to feel your friends.”

“You mean the Paladin Bond?” Lance is gaping at her, “We feel that through the lions not- not whatever that was!”

“The Lions hold the force as well. Something is warping the force to its liking and giving it to you in this neat package of communication.  Just know, boy that the Force is so much more than this.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it is you and the others that will bring balance.” She allows Lance to stand.  He’s shaky and nervous and Keith’s voice filters into his brain.  

“Lance! Is everything alright? We’re going to have a diplomatic meeting with Allura and the King of this town.  You should come back to the castle.”  

“What about you?” He asks, and she laughs a little.  Lance huffs, affronted.  

“I am too old, too untrained to bring balance to the force.  If I had the opportunity earlier I would.  The time of the Jedi are over.”  

“Lance, we need you!”

“I’ll- um, okay  Lady.  One, weird. Two, gotta go- teammates are waiting for me and all.” Lance jogs back to the Red Lion and flies back to the castle- shaken.  

The force runs through everything that lives, you, me and your beast.  

Lance takes off towards the castle, thinking.

“Red.” He says aloud, “Is what the lady said true?”

THE FORCE IS MANY THINGS. Lance winces as she booms in his head.  

“Okay, but is the force and the Paladin bond the same?”

YES.

She falls completely silent now and when Lance lands back inside of the hangar of the red Lion, he closes his eyes again.  

He allows himself to unravel and once again the buzzing starts.  The entire Universe is vibrating, his lion is Pulsing- his teammates- he can see them, their fields and once again he’s thrown into the violent tirade of memories, of plasma sabers, mind control and serenity.  

He pulls himself out of the stream, sweating again.  

The Jedi.  

The Voltron Paladins.  

What are they?

Lance is at a diplomatic dinner in the Castle, Allura is trying to convince the king to join the Coalition.  He’s not listening.  He’s dipping as slow as possible, back into the stream of the Force, trying to accept it’s push and pull. It’s so much more raw and different than the Paladin Bond, instead of the gentle steadiness and familiarity of his teammates he feels a thousand minds and voices tug and rip at him.  

“You okay Lance?”

When he comes to, the dinner is over. He’s the only one sitting at the table with his plate full.  Hunk is next to him, worried.

“Did you get sick?”

“No, no, buddy- I’m just thinking. The latest raid was crazy, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Hunk agrees, “We were awesome! We didn’t even need Voltron!  At this point we’ll take down Lotor in no time flat.”

“I don’t know if this is weird, but have you felt anything else other than the Paladin Bond?” Lance asks and Hunk’s expression turns thoughtful.

“I don’t think so.  Just you and Pidge and Allura and Keith and I don’t know, I swear I feel Shiro sometimes.”  

“Have you tried?” Lance presses and Hunk shakes his head a little.  

“Why, is there more to the Bond than we’re doing?”

“Maybe.” Lance says, “Give it try, maybe I’ve officially gone crazy.”

Hunk concentrates.  His eyes close and Lance can minutely feel him poking at the back of his mind.  The stream is stuffed away, but it wriggles and worms in his head, trying to get to Hunk. The Castle’s vibrating becomes more powerful as Hunk relaxes and lets The Force in.  

A sharp spike of pain knifes through his head and eyes and his vision wobbles.  Hunk’s feelings wrap around his brain like a vice.  Lance scrambles to grab Hunk’s arm for purchase, to beg for the sensation to stop, and it does.  

The next moment Hunk is staring at him, eyes wide.  He’s crying.

“Fuck.” Lance says plainly, “Fuck- I’m sorry man.  I- I didn’t mean to hurt you like this—”

“What is it?” Hunk asks breathlessly, “It’s everywhere.  The Paladin Bond is everywhere.  It’s like everyone can hear it.  I’ve hurt you, the bond hurt you, I’m sorry—”

“It’s not just a Paladin Bond.” Lance says, his head is pounding, he’s vaguely aware that Hunk is sweating.  

“The Force.” Hunk whispers, “It told it to me.”

“It did?” Lance asks surprised, “It didn’t tell me.”

“You did and it did. I dunno.   I just knew, I’m sorry I hurt you.” Hunk says, his voice detached and distant.

“It’s not your fault.” Lance says immediately despite his pulsing temples.

“Do the others know?” Hunks asks and everything is brought back into focus, his headaches vanishes.  Lance pulls back on the bond and the Universe stops vibrating.

“No.” Lance says, “I haven’t told them.”

“We have to tell them.” Hunk says and he’s frighteningly serious, and he’s no longer crying.    

[phantoms-lair]

Alternative Selves Snippet

(aka the Wormhole AU where they get caught in the loops of the wormhole and ends up with Shiro as a vampire, Hunk as a skinchanger/Bear Selkie, Lance as a Merman, Keith as a Galra, and Pidge as a magical girl.)

The living room area was quiet. Well, it really wasn’t. The was the slight splash of water in Lance’s tank as he moved around, the slight tapping and clinking of whatever respective projects Hunk and Pidge were working on, the slight hum of the screens Allura and Coran were looking at. The only one being completely silent was Shiro, which Keith was somewhat grateful for given Shiro had been sipping out of a cup and normalization aside none of them wanted to think too much on Shiro’s new diet.

Keith was pretending to fiddle with his bayard, but the truth was he was watching Allura. He thought he’d seen her a couple of times out of the corner of his eye, but now he was paying attention. Sure enough-

"Whatever it is just say it!" Keith snapped, breaking the quiet and causing everyone else in the living room to turn towards him. The Paladin-turned-Galra was glaring at Allura. 

 "Keith" Shiro said with a slight warning tone. 

 "I'm not blind. I can see you keep going to say something and then swallow it. I get it. A Galra in the castle isn't something you want, ever." 

 "That's not it at all," Alllura protested. "Irregardless of your original or current body you are first and foremost a Paladin of Voltron. It's just...there's something about your transformation that puzzles me. And I keep going to ask before remembering you'd have even less of an idea that I."

Shiro sighed. From the set of Keith's shoulders he could tell his surrogate little brother didn't believe her one bit. They were all a bit sensitive about heir new forms, himself included. But with how guilt-ridden Allura was over the debacle, he had a hard time believing she was holding Keith’s form against him. "What's the problem? Even if we don't know the answer, any discrepancy might be a clue to the mess." 

 Allura nodded. If there was a chance she could provide a clue to fixing this mess, she'd take it. "It's your stature." 

 "My height?" Keith asked dubiously. It seemed a strange thing to focus on. "No one else changed that much, what makes me unusual." 

 "Height and general build." Allura clarified. "And it would make sense for the most part that others didn't change in that regard. From what I understand of Mahou Shoujo, they're to humans as Alchemists are to Alteans, in that while they have extra abilities, they are of the same race and otherwise indistinguishable. Hunk has two forms, and while one is an Earth klanmüirl, the other is a normal human and thus shouldn't be different than normal. And Shiro's new species is meant to blend in with humans to better hunt them, so shouldn't be too different appearing on the surface." 

Shiro fidgeted uncomfortably, not liking the reminder of vampires being meant to stalk and hunt humans. 

"Lance on the other hand, in an exception, having doubled in body length, grown gills, and had his method of movement completely altered. His new species has no reason to pass as human and thus he no longer can either. But a Galra would also have no need of such infiltration ability. As near as we can tell you're a full blooded Galra, and yet while you've gained some small amount of height and mass, you must have noticed you're still far smaller than the Galra we've seem. Almost more like one in mid-adolescence than full grown." 

 "Okay, but why is that weird?" Hunk asked. 

 "Yeah, our age is like the one this that hasn't been tampered with." Lance added from his tank

"Huh, I thought Number Five was the youngest?" Coran wondered, stroking his mustache. 

 "I am. I'm about 15 years old, Keith is 18, Hunk and Lance are 17, and Shiro's 25. So in terms of maturity, I'm in the middle of adolescence, Hunk, Lance, and Keith are mid to late, and Shiro's fully grown, though still classified as a young adult." Pidge clarified. 

 "And an Earth year is roughly equivalent to a decapheobe?" Allura was smiling, but in a way that looked rather fixed. 

 "Roughly.” Hunk agreed. “Are you two okay?" 

Allura and Coran had both looked rather tense at this revelation. The smiles looked beyond fixed now, practically stepford.

"Quite alright,” Coran insisted “I just, er, remembered I need the Princess to...help me with the thing. Can't leave things on their own, they get all thingy." Coran grabbed Allura's arm and dragged her from the room. 

 "Okay, did that seem weird to anyone else, or is it just me?" Hunk wondered.

"Just you," Lance answered sarcastically, flipping his tail. He was frowning though, trying to figure out what was going on.

 "I think the ages caught her off guard," Shiro explained. "Remember Alteans count their age in centuries. Imagine how you'd feel if you learned the soldiers under your command were only a few months old? And..." Shiro debated saying anything for a moment. He didn’t think his team would enjoy hearing this."I think they also just realized they conscripted a team of child soldiers."

Lance's frown deepened. "We're not kids. And we were Garrison Cadets before this." 

"Technically everyone but Keith and I would be considered kids and even Keith would be more of a technicality.” Shiro pointed out. “And even as cadets you were limited to simulators, you wouldn't be seeing anything remotely resembling combat for years."

"But isn't it obvious?" Keith asked, his ears twitching. He wasn’t sure how he felt now. This wasn’t the conversation he was dreading, but he wasn’t sure he liked being considered a child soldier any more.

 "How would it be?" Pidge facepalmed, frustrated it never occurred to her. "We kinda got hit by the difference between Altean and human lifespans right away, but we never really said anything about it. In Allura and Coran's day the Alteans were space diplomats. They're used to dealing with other races, some of which probably looked similar but were very different. We're the only examples of humanity they've ever seen. They had no reason to think we were anything but full grown, especially since we never said anything.”

~ 

 "They. Are. Children!" Allura looked like she was going to be sick. "Fifteen decapheobes? Twenty-Five at the most? I was still hiding behind mother's skirts at that age! I've taken children from their homes and forced them into combat." 

"Humans mature faster than Alteans, remember Shiro is still considered an adult." Coran was trying to be reassuring, but was in just as much shock as she was.  He had thought they were, as Pidge put it, young adults. His mind was now replaying different conversations, Pidge claiming she was tired during the teamwork training, Lance’s homesickness, in a new light.

 "Only barely from what Pidge said." Allura countered. "I'm a monster." 

 "I disagree," came Shiro's voice behind them. As had become the norm, no one had heard his coming. He seemed to not be able to help that these days. "And as a currently animated corpse that needs to consume the blood of my team to survive, I think I'm the authority on monsters on this ship." He put a hand on her shoulder. 

Allura refused to meet his eyes. "Princess, you didn't take any of us from our homes. The Galra took me and Blue took the rest, you were in cryostasis at both times. I'll admit, this isn't...ideal.” Understatement. “Technically I'm not qualified to by the head of any unit, and the others are just cadets not meant to see battle for years, but the thing is none of us had a choice in this, and that includes you and Coran. We were all swept away in this, and now we have to try and make the best of it."

"You said it yourself, the Lion chooses the Paladin, and the Lions chose us. We can't afford to wait to get the next few years under our belt in training. Zarkon's had too many years as it is,”

[welcometoyournewhell]

Teaching Fools

(My friend @kwaiipootato helped me with names so... Yeah)

It started innocently enough. Jerome was preparing food for his babies when Kosmo decided he wanted some too. After being rejected a few times, the aging cosmic wolf became annoyed. He tried nudging his human brother, tripping him. Teleporting around him, trying to trap him.

But nothing worked. 

He huffed in defeat, laying down on the boy’s bed, watching him struggle to feed the animals. He’d finally forgiven the mini Keith for not only abandoning him, but for bring home two, two, heathens! 

He dared to cheat on him, with not one, but two new animals! An astral hyena, and glatatic shepherd. Yes they were still young, impressionable, Kosmo could teach him his ways. Teach them how to act, how to beg. They could be useful yet.

But, for the time being, they were inbetween him and extra food and cuddles. Perhaps his human brother needed to be reminded who is top “dog”. 

He noted how the two armatures sat at his feet. The shepherd (who looked like an over grown, blow dried, teddy bear) wiggled his tail, jumping up on occasion and bouncing off Jerome’s leg. “Ivan no,” the boy lectured as he point to the ground. The puppy whined annoyingly. 

Glaring slightly the wolf huffed. ‘This is what he replaces me with?’ The hyena was older than Ivan. His mo hawk was still tiny but he was bigger than a puppy. He’d bump his head into Jerome’s thigh off and on. “Snickers, down boy.” He was older, he knew better. 

‘Really? Snickers and Ivan? Kosmo is a much better name. You should ask Lance for advice, hell even Keith.’ 

Jerome struggled with the cage opening, he just wanted to feed his rat! Finally getting it open he placed the bowl down, while now trying to keep Raticus in his cage. Closing the door he moved to the bed. Glaring at Kosmo he nodded his head to signal him off the bed. 

‘What? I was here even before you! You want me.. oh.’ He watched as the black and white ball of fluff waddled up to Jerome. “Kosmo up. Your not getting Stompers food.” The wolf huffed before hopping off the bed. Well trying to. That damn hyena was in his way. 

He pawed at the goofy face, growling slightly. No dice, he didn’t move. Looking over his shoulder he felt anger boil as Jerome played with the little fluff ball. A snout came between his paws as big eyes looked up at him. Snicker’s tail wagged back and forth. He wanted to play!

Kosmo walked around the bed before hopping down by the puppy eating the desired chow. He didn’t like “meal worms” or “protein pellets” and figured the other two would have something similar to his diet. He was curious! He wasn’t going to eat any.... maybe. 

“Kosmo get.” Jerome pushed his snout away. “Stop, no.” Kosmo stood back in shock. ‘You dare push my face away?’ Jumping back on the bed he waited for the right time to strike, he was going to teach these heathens how to “train” their father. 

Much like he’d trained Keith. 

After placing Snicker’s food down Jerome gasped. As he stood back up a wet nose sniffed under his shirt at his back. “Khahahosmo,” Jerome giggled. He couldn’t move away very well. His room was a mess, not to mention it was super packed and small. 

He he moved forward he’d kick either Snicker’s or the food bowl, and if he went back he’d sit on Kosmo. To his left, nothing but he’d probably hurt Kosmo. To his right, a metal wall with a large rat cage against it (Raticus and the mice didn’t get along. He was more of a skunk kind of rat damn it! He grew up with Stompers!)

‘Foolish boy.’ Kosmo’s head vanished into the dark long sleeve. His head rubbed against the boy’s side earning more giggles. “K-Kahahasomo! Sthahap it!” The boy tried pushing him away. 

“Dhahahahd!” If Kosmo could roll his eyes he would. ‘Keith would have been smart enough to feed me.’  Kosmo pulled out when he heard a shift in Jerome’s laughter. Looking in front of him he ... well he would smirk if he could. Snicker’s was sniffing his tummy from under his shirt. He was standing on his hind legs, pushing on Jerome for balance. 

‘Very good, they’re learning. I may have more use for them than I thought.’ Tripping other’s up for food, causing it to fall to the floor. Training Jerome, and Lance every now and then. Kosmo is top boy, not pssh, Cuban boy. Sometimes Kosmo must remind his Keith’s mate of this. 

He moved before pulling the boy back onto the bed. A small black and white fluff sat beside him, finished with his meal. They gave each other the look before Stompers swatted at Snickers. Hissing, he firghtend the other up by Kosmo before curling up under the shirt. His nose poked out of the neck hole. 

“Dad!” Jerome knew this wasn’t over. Kosmo was still spiteful. He giggled as Stompers started to sniff around, tail swishing over his wast and lower tummy. “Eek! Sthahaompers!” This happened more often than not. The skunk liked to sleep in his shirt, it helped his anxiety to be cuddled. 

Jerome’s that is.

 As two more nodes found his neck he giggled harder. His face turned pink as a reaction. He was doomed! Little yelps and whimpers caught the eldest’s attention as Ivan tried to get on the bed. Hopping down he picked the puppy up by the scruff of his neck before dropping him on the bed. 

For someone who forced the boy to have a baby monitor in his room, Keith wasn’t really meeting the expectation. Lance was out with Hunk, Pidge, Adam  and Coran for supplies. Keith and Shiro had gone off to discuss battle tactics train like there was no tomorrow because their husbands would kick their asses if they moved their bodies so dangerously. 

“Jerome what do you,” he stopped mid sentence. Keith  covered his mouth as he let out a snort. “It’s nahahat fhahaunny!” Jerome shrieked when his soles were poked. “Dahahahd!” Keith couldn’t help it. He loved tickling the kid, it was a form of bonding. “Yeah?” He wasn’t stopping. He grabbed the boy’s ankles before tickling up and down the hyper sensitive soles. “Dhahahahahd!” Kosmo looked up in approvement. 

Keith stopped before laughing. “What, you want help,” he teased. Finger’s wiggled up his sides into his underarms. Jeorme’s hands came down to steady Stompers as he screamed and bucked. Kosmo pounced on Snickers as he tried to attack Keith. The father pulled up, looking at the hyena in shock. 

“N....no.... Snick...ers! Bha....d....boy.” He tapped him lightly on the snout before looking back at his dad. Keith was still starring at the hyena. “Dad?” Shaking his head the black paladin pulled the skunk out from the boy’s shirt. “Jerome pumpkin... um... I’m not so sure about Snickers.” If the hyena was going to attack him, he’d rather not leave him with his child. 

“Dad he’s fine. I screamed. You have to remember we lived from planet to planet for a while. If I screamed it meant danger.” A voice from the door way caught them both of guard. “Guess we should teach him the difference between screams of fear and of laughter.” Lance strode into the room. 

Kosmo huffed before fully laying on Snickers. It was going to be a long afternoon. 

[ephemeralfuture]

In Which The Paladin Bond and The Force are The Same [Part Two]

Days pass since Lance's discovery of the Force. It's old. Older than Voltron and Altea and Zarkon's empire.  It seems similar to the thing that drives the Lions and Voltron, an energy. Lance sits completely still in his room and allows himself to sink into the buzzing field of the force, despite the screaming and the pain.  

While the Force is scalding and demanding, he realizes that it was not like that before.  In the time of Jedi and Sith and the time when being Force sensitive was a mystical aether like power it was less of a swirling substance and more of a crackling field.  Not evil, nor good , thriving in neutrality.   Now the force swims and swirls, in Lances mind and on his skin and the skins of his teammates. Time simply changed it.   Lance and Hunk meditate together now, holding onto each other as they explore the howling stream of the force.   "Whoa- how did you do that?" Hunk and Lance agreed that they were going to set aside a date to guide the rest of team Voltron into the Force.  Now, a water packet is hovering in the air and Lance can see it turning slowly before Hunk.     "I think you can use it to lift things up for you." Hunk says and the pack wobbles over to him and drops onto his lap.   "Sweet!" Lance sits next to him and takes a deep breath before diving into the stream.  He sits, fighting the howling currents and Hunk pulls him out of his reverie, tapping him on the bicep. "Dude." He says, "Breathe." Lance exhales and suddenly his head is clearer. "Try keeping your awareness on all the time.  Like the Paladin Bond, but louder." Hunk says and Lance decides to extend his arm out to the water pouch from across the couch and a split second later the thing smacks him in the head.   "Ho ho-! What a move!" Hunk laughs and Lance chuckles with him.  The Lions and the castle always Vibrate now.  It's less pulsating madness and more of a norm between Hunk and Lance.   "Do you know what this means?" Lance says, "we can do so much more with this.  Just imagine!" "I'll bet." Hunk hums.   Lance and Hunk go before the team the next day, ready.  They're all on the Bridge that morning. "Guys, Lance found something more to the Paladin Bond." Hunk announces and Lance smiles dazzlingly at them. "Aw shucks Hunk, I didn't find it, some lady on a planet did. But I did feel it." "There's more to the bond?" Pidge asks, eyes glimmering in interest, "what is it?" Lance realizes that convincing the rest of the team to simply feel beyond the Bond would take more convincing.  Hunk swoops in to the rescue. "Find the Paladin Bond." He says, "and we'll guide you." "An impromptu training sequence!" Allura looks quite happy, proud of Hunk, even for bringing it up, and suddenly everyone's suiting up and going down to the training deck.   Keith, Allura and Pidge sit in a circle with Hunk and Lance and Lance feels something off. "Shiro." He says suddenly and Shiro looks up from his place on the Observation deck, surprised.   "We need you too." Allura and Keith both give him a strange looks. "Didn't Shiro loose his connection with the Black Lion?" Allura says. "He still shares a bond with us." Hunk says, "it's all he'll need for this." So Shiro sits with the five of them in a circle, sheepish. "Okay, now- find the bond." Lance easily clamps onto the steadying glimmers of Hunk and Allura.  Pidge and Keith are harder to find but he pulls them in. They're hesitant but willing.  Shiro's shimmer is faintest and the most hesitant and Lance has to tug and tug to make it stronger.   "Okay..." Hunk's voice is far away, he's holding onto the other's links with him.  Lance wants to simply dive in, to allow the screaming to sting him, but Hunk keeps him held back. Slowly.... Hunk's voice seems to murmur.  It'll be rough.   "Just let it guide you..." When Lance sinks into the Force,  the Castle vibrating powerfully.  He can hear the heartbeats of five instead of one- the brief flashes of the Plasma sabers and floating stones swimming across his eyes.  The Force is life, but full of pained gaps.  Something mangled parts of it beyond repair.   When he pulls his mind back into his body, Hunk's light pulse holds and comforts him.  Hunk is gripping his arm. "That... Was a lot." He says, "it'll still take time to accept it I think." Lance glances at the others, they're sweating and mostly pale . Lance wishes there's another way to show it to them.  He wishes he can repair it back to being  serene and whole, but the gaps are raw and dripping. It's all they have.   "What- was that?" Keith's voice is haggard and freaked out, Lance wants to reach out with the Bond and hold him.   "The Force." Allura whispers, awed, "The force is more than twenty thousand years old. A mere myth amongst my people. I didn't know it still lived under the idea of quintessence." "Sorry." Hunk says, "Lance and I are still figuring out how to introduce it without making people feel terrible." "Good Job Hunk." Shiro says. His voice is wrecked and his eyes are rimmed red.  He must've received the brunt of the pain associated with the force.   "Why was it screaming?" Pidge demands, her voice is shaky and her eyes are shimmering with tears, "there's so many thoughts- it's so bad-" Lance kneels scoots over to Pidge and holds her cheeks in his hands.   "Breathe." He commands, "It's okay.  The disturbance is Zarkon.  All Zarkon, and the planets he killed.  The force is alive.  It's in you and me and Hunk and Voltron. It runs through everything.  Concentrate." Pidge's heartbeat slows in Lance's head.  He places his hands in his lap. Shiro gets up, antsy.   "Hunk, how do you turn it off?" He asks suddenly, "What if you don't want this?" "Can't." Hunk says, "Lance already said it, the Force is in us and everything that lives." Lance feels Shiro's wild panicked sparking- he gets up and walks over to Shiro, who's taken to pacing and places a hand on his shoulder.   "The force is calling to you.  To all of us." Lance says seriously, "All you have to do is let it in." Shiro looks uncharacteristically ruffled by what Lance says and he nods mutely.   Lance is glad that the raw ripped up gaps in the force is just as disturbing to him as the others.  They can feel it and see it's result but it pulses and thrums with vibrant life despite the loss.   "Allura." Lance says, and she's still in the floor, contemplative.  She looks up, detached.   "Will you be okay?" She stand, wobbling and nods.  Lance doesn't want to push this new training any harder, she seems to be more aware of its presence than anything.   Lance and Hunk still meditate and practice together and regularly dip into the full encompassing nature of the Force, hoping to quell its screaming and animalistic scrabbling.   Allura summons her teammates to the training deck and Shiro and Coran stand in the Observation deck.  Lance realizes that this will be the first time he'll be using the force to his advantage in a fight.  It became Hunk's idea.   Keith and Allura are on the front taking on Gladiators full on and Lance and Hunk are doing damage control while defending Pidge.  The session is going well until a Gladiator gets close to Lance and and slams into his stomach, throwing him into Hunk.  His bayard clatters to the floor and slides across the room and Hunk stumbles with him, thrown off guard.   It's now or never. Lance glances at his bayard and sees the Gladiator advancing toward him.   Trust in the force.  Let it in. He whips his hand out to his bayard and in a second the thing clanks against the Gladiator's head and into Lance's outstretched hand.   Lance shoots the Gladiator and that becomes the last of them.and the training session is over.   "Wow Lance!" Hunk gushes, "you used it perfectly! what should we call that move?" "Dunno." Lance says with a grin, "Force pull?" "How about a force push?" Hunk says and they both chuckle.   "How did you even do that?" Pidge demands and Lance wiggles his fingers at her. "I trusted in the force." He says, "just trust it and it'll give."

He wipes sweat from his brow, ignoring her doubtful look and turns to Keith who’s expression turns increasingly sullen.  

“Keith my man, jealous of my smooth moves?” Lance smirks at him and Keith frowns.  

“I don’t think you truly understand what you’re playing with.”

His smile drops and his stomach twists.  He glances at Hunk and he looks just as nervous.  

“What do you mean my man?”

He thinks of the scalding, the screaming- the sith and the darkness.  He thinks of the insanity and the gaping wounds in the force’s field.  It hurts, yes- but it’s not the Force’s fault.  

“That thing fucked us up the moment we tried to touch it.  If it’s letting you use it now, what if it wants something in return?”

“Keith.” Hunk says, “The force isn’t hiding or anything, and what Lance just did was him trusting it.  I also gotta remind you that your Lion is made of the Force.”  

Keith flushes a little, and Hunk smiles softly.  

“Lance and I meditate with the force every other day.  We want you to come.”

“He’ll mess with my mojo.  But I’m agreeing because Hunk said so.” Lance pats Keith on the shoulder and walks out of the training deck.  

Pidge and Keith appear at the entrance to the common room on Lance and Hunk’s Force meditation day and Lance couldn’t be anymore happier.

They have snacks and poke and prod into the stream in silence, pulling away when the Force gets too grabby.  Lance can see that Pidge’s stream pulses and glimmers in curiosity with every interaction and in turn the Force gives a thrum of a memory, a woman of wit and brightness with bright green sabers.  

“What happened to her? Her race?”   Pidge asks suddenly and Lance is pulled out of his reverie, out of the stream.  He sees her staring at him, eyes shimmering with that demanding glint.  She wants to know.  He glances at Hunk, clueless and Hunk shrugs at him.  

“Don’t know Pidge.” Lance says, “Maybe you can ask.”

“How can you ask the Force what happened to the Woman’s race?” Keith asks, he’s been quiet the whole time, allowing his pulse to steadily be gripped along the stream.  Lance worries that if he lets go he’ll be carried off and lost to the Force.  

“I’m guessing the Force knows.” Hunk says, “Give it a try Pidge.”

Pidge looks hesitant, Lance can tell that she doesn’t want to go in alone.  

“Pidge.” Lance says, “Try keeping your awareness on all the time, like with the Paladin Bond but not one thousand percent.”  

Pidge sighs, “Helpful Lance, very helpful.  But I’ll try.” She takes a deep breath.  

Lance finds that her light pulse threads out a little farther than normal.  What happened to the Togruta woman?

Hunk reaches out from across Lance’s lap and pushes Pidge’s shoulder, reminding her to breathe.  

“Gone.” She finally says softly, “All gone.  Died out three thousand years after she died.  Planet destroyed five thousand years after they died.”  

Pidge’s eyes are rimmed red, her eyes tired.  Lance’s stomach whirls with disgust at himself. This is a consequence of asking things of the force.   

Torn.  It’s torn up and beating not unlike a heart.  Lance reaches out with his light pulse, tendrils delicate and careful and finds hers within the safety of the paladin bond.  Strange how this form of the Force is a calm pond while the rest of the Universe is tidal wave of agony.  

I’m sorry Pidge.  

“It’s not your fault.” She says immediately, and she wipes her eyes and glasses, “The Force is old, I should’ve expected there to be generations of dead races.  It was just trying to make me happy.”  

Lance checks up on Keith’s light pulse, safely within his grasp.  He glances at Keith who gives him a puzzled look.  

“You haven’t said anything this entire session.” Lance says, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.”  

Keith’s light pulse wriggles uncomfortably in his grasp and it sends a kick in Lance’s chest.  

“Keith you’ve been with us in the Force this entire time and haven’t said a word.  You’ve been pretty steady too- up until now.  What’s up?”

Keith doesn’t answer.  Lance then decides to pluck a tendril from Keith’s light pulse- to see what’s up.  

What he doesn’t expect is an onslaught of worry upon worry.  Keith is worried.  Worried about his friends, about Voltron, about Lance and Shiro and the Blade and himself and the force.  Keith worries so much that it makes Lance reel.

He also doesn’t expect Keith to fall over from his cross-legged sitting style onto the floor screaming.  

[ephemeralfuture]

In Which the Paladin Bond and The Force are the Same [Part 3]

Keith is screaming and Lance- Lance scrambles over in a fit of panic and guilt.  The light pulse was drawn tight anyway in his mind’s eye- why did he decide to pull it?

“Keith!” Lance goes over to his side and sees his face, crying and flushed, eyes shut, “Keith I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again- I’m sorry!” At this point tears are rolling down Lance’s cheeks, Keith’s worry and his own worry needling into his brain.  Lance cups Keith’s face, even as he screams.  He begs the force to help him, even as Hunk’s tendrils prod at him to pull away. Suddenly Keith stops screaming, his voice reduced to whimpers and Lance is brought back to the common room.  Allura, Coran and Shiro are there now, shocked at what they see and Hunk is tugging Lance away from the common room, away from the chaos and he can only see himself casually plucking a tendril from a light pulse, like plucking a hibiscus.     Lance pulls himself tight from the Force and the Paladin Bond completely despite the Force’s niggling and nagging.  Now there’s no more pulsing, no more light and no more tendrils branching out to meet him.  He aches to feel it again, to see it again.  Yet, to easily hurt a light as pretty Keith’s? No way.  

Lance stares up at the ceiling of his room, staring at his fingers.  It has been three Earth days since the Incident and Keith is fine, according to Hunk, but it’s a good idea not to force any branches.  Keith seems fine, normal for himself but all he can remember is the worry.  What’s Keith worrying about now? He’ll worry himself to death.  

Lance doesn’t go to sessions with Hunk anymore, despite the pull of the Force being strong and almost painful sometimes but it’s easier to just brush it away.  He thinks about how awful it would be if he accidentally plucked an unseen thread from Pidge’s light pulse and unraveled her completely.  

The Paladin Bond doesn’t affect Voltron.  Lance knows this because the team initially needed headsets to forge a mental bond and even then, they simply formed Voltron without it. So time went on where Lance feels the pull of the Force and the Paladin Bond. But Voltron is formed anyway without the pulsing or the light.  

Lance is surprised and guilty when Keith appears at his door.  Something about him is different.  Lance wishes that he was dumber with Force sensitivity to feel Keith’s pull.  

“Hey Keith, what’s up?” Lance asks, his smile is steady, he feels exhausted.  Keith is looking at him steadily, unreadable, but probably worried.  

“Why are you holding back?” Keith asks suddenly and Lance is startled, his head aches from resisting the pull of the force, from remembering Keith’s worry and his own worry.  

“What do you mean?”  Lance asks, and the field around Keith grows stronger.  

“I haven’t felt you all week, neither has Hunk, Pidge, Shiro or Allura. Hunk says that you might be shutting us out.”  

Lance wants to feel insulted, that they don’t understand that he fears that he can break them using the Force but he wants to hold Keith’s light pulse again.  

“I- I-” Lance’s rebuttal dies in his throat, “I hurt you Keith.”  

He can’t look at Keith, because if he does he’ll remember his tight screaming face.  

The bed dips next to him and Keith’s hand grips Lance’s bicep.  

“Lance look at me”

When he looks up, Keith’s eyes are shimmering and violet.  

“Just let it in.”

He allows himself to be pulled into the stream of the Force, he could let it unravel him, take him across the uncharted gaps of its grisly 20,000 History if it weren’t for one thing.  

Keith.  Keith holds onto him, firm and bold and strong and refuses to let him go, tendrils blossomed upon him, bright.  

Lance reels, gasping- how? How did Keith manage after the incident?

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-” Lance croaks out and Keith’s tendrils wrap around his light pulse, coaxing him to unravel.  

I forgive you, I forgive you.  

“I forgive you Lance.  It was an accident.  You didn’t know.” Keith hums.  Lance’s cheeks are wet with tears, pressed against Keith’s neck.  

“Hunk helped me handle the Force but  Mostly within the Paladin bond. It was an accident, I forgive you.”  

Forgiven.  Lance unravels a thread and delicately wraps it around Keith’s many branching ones.  What a week can do.  

He wants to be close, he wants to hold him close.  

Trust in the Force.  Just let it him in.  

----

I normally dont Author Note anymore but I notice that my 2000 word fics don’t format well on tumblr so sorry if the pacing gets skewed because of cutting it into various parts.