Chapter Text
The afternoon training went better. Not completely smooth, but it was an improvement over his recent abysmal performances. Overall, Lance was feeling good as he changed into his regular clothes.
“Good job today, team,” Shiro said as he moved to exit. He paused as he passed Lance, “Keep it up.”
Lance nodded, not trusting his voice to remain steady. He watched as Shiro left, followed closely by Keith. Refusing to linger on how close the two were, he turned his attention to Pidge and Hunk.
Hunk was just finished changing out of his paladin gear and reentered the main room. Pidge, for all her original indifference towards them, seemed to be waiting for them both to finish.
She tilted her head to one side, “Hurry it up.”
“What's your rush?” Lance gave a mock eye roll. For a moment he could forget about Keith, and work on steeling his nerves.
Hunk walked up to them, “Gym.” He gave Lance a shrug, “You disappeared earlier, we sorta decided to do a circuit before dinner instead of after.”
Now, Lance noticed Hunk had changed into his loose shorts and tank. He mentally groaned, saying farewell to his plans of a nap before dinner. “Fiiine. But I’m just doing basics. Don’t need to pass out on one of the weight machines.”
Pidge shrugged, “We were just going to do some cardio before dinner.”
The gym was already occupied by Shiro and Keith when the three arrived. The other two seemed set on their routine, so they passed them without interrupting.
Pidge and Hunk immediately hit the treadmills, trying to out do each other. Lance went over to the free weights to do some reps. He always zoned out while working out, his mind just got away from him. So when Pidge’s face appeared right in front of him, he jumped.
“Hey, we’re heading over to my lab for a bit before dinner. Mind helping with some lifting?”
Lance rolled his eyes, “Don’t you have some like anti gravity thing yet?”
Hunk said something, but Lance didn’t hear. He was too busy watching Shiro walk over to Keith.
Shiro stopped by where Keith was stretching, briefly speaking with him before leaving the gym. Even though he was only a few mats away, he couldn't make out what was said.
Lance motioned for Pidge and Hunk to head on without him, which they did without argument. He took his time putting away his free weights, working over how to approach Keith and what to say once he did.
He looked out of the corner of his eye to where Keith was finishing his stretches. Well, it was now or… try again tomorrow. Tomorrow actually sounded better.
If he waited until tomorrow he could work out what to say. Yea, it would be better to wait. And have a plan. And some sleep.
“Lance.” Keith was staring at him.
Oh. He was staring at Keith while mentally extolling the virtues of tomorrow. “Uh.”
Smooth.
“Half asleep,” He tried again, hoping to explain away his absentmindedly staring.
Keith stood, crossing his arms. “Whatever. Look. You did well today. And…” Keith sighed, looking briefly up to the ceiling before meeting Lance’s eyes again. “And I'm sorry. For how I treated you.”
“I- I'm sorry too. For messing up.” His eyes found an interesting fold in one of the blue mats.
“Apologies don't matter if we're dead. Just. Keep it up, we depend on you.”
“I- uh, yea. Actually…” Lance closed his eyes, it wasn't too late to back out. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about why I was distracted.”
Keith grabbed his water bottle from the floor, taking a quick sip before answering. “Look, Lance. I'm not really good with this sorta thing. Wouldn't you rather talk to Shiro or Hunk?”
Lance rubbed at the back of his neck, the distance between them suddenly feeling too close. “Um, well. It involves you.”
“Me?”
“Yea… it's - I've… been trying to impress you. And I kept messing everything up. I just want you to like me like I like you. And instead you just… hate me.”
“Why do you want my approval so bad?” Keith crossed his arms. “I don’t hate you. I would be just as angry if anyone performed the way you did.”
Lance inhaled sharply. “Why do you make everything so difficult!” He threw up his hands in defeat and quickly made his way towards the door.
“Ugh, Lance.” Keith darted to block his path. “Hey, I don’t hate you? I guess I like you too.”
“No.” Lance eyed his escape. “I like you. Like like.”
Keith shifted his weight to his heels, “Oh.” He looked to the side for a moment. “Lance. Okay, I'm not good with this.”
Lance wanted to retort with a ‘no shit’, but bit his tongue. “Do you…?”
“Do I…?” Then it clicked for Keith. “No. I don’t ‘like like’ you or whatever. Just regular teammate like.”
“Right.” Lance tried to laugh. “Well, okay then.”
“Okay.” Keith walked back to his mat where his bottle was. Lance didn't wait around; as soon as his path was free, he ran out of the gym and straight to his room.
Lance was pulled from his deep sleep by an insistent knock at his door. He glanced at the Altean timepiece on his wall and rubbed at his still puffy eyes. It was past dinner, though he doubted he'd have had much of an appetite.
The knocking continued. “Coming, coming,” Lance muttered as he made his way to the door.
The door slid open, revealing a concerned Hunk. “You look like hell.”
Lance stepped aside to let Hunk enter, “Gee, thanks buddy.” The door slid shut again.
“Here.” Hunk held out a carefully prepared plate of food.
Lance took the offered plate and sat it on his small table, knowing he should eat something. Maybe later. “You didn’t have to… I could have gone down and scavenged later.”
Hunk shrugged, helping himself to Lance’s lone chair. “It was Coran. I was on my way to check on you and ran into him. Figured I’d save him the trip since I was already heading this way.”
Lance couldn’t help a smile smile at that. Coran was such a good… friend? He didn’t know what Coran was. But he was good at it.
“So. Hunk clapped his hands together. Did you and Keith get into another argument?”
“Why would you assume that?” Just the mention of Keith’s name sent his heart into his stomach. Thank Voltron he slept through dinner-- and what was he going to do when they had their next training? Or an actual battle? What then?
“Well, you two were both the only ones in the gym… and I may have overheard Shiro telling him to apologize to you. So… yea. You alright, buddy?”
Oh, Keith only apologized because Shiro asked him to? “Something like that. I’ll be alright.”
“Do Pidge and I need to-”
“No! No. I’ll be fine. Just--” He sighed. “I took Coran’s advice and the results were exactly as expected.”
Hunk leaned his head against wall. “Wait-- what?”
Lance bit his lip and caught Hunk up on his personal dramas. How had he not spoken to his best friend about it before now? In the end, he knew Hunk would always be there for him.
Later that night, after Hunk had left and Lance was just about done feeling sorry for himself, another there was another knock at the door. It was just about their usual bedtime, so he fully expected Pidge or Hunk to be checking on him.
“Oh, hi Coran.” Lance blinked at the dressed down man at his door. Instead of his usual advisor’s uniform, he wore simple black pants and a simple shirt with an Altean flare.
“Ah, Lance. I had hoped I’d catch you before you turned in for the night.” Coran smiled cheerfully at Lance.
“What’s up?” Lance wasn’t sure if he wanted Coran to stay or go. His need for solitude battled with his enjoyment of Coran’s company.
Coran’s smile faded, and he silently asked permission to enter Lance’s room. “I wanted to make sure you’re alright. I overheard Keith talking to Shiro about what happened in the gym.”
Lance shrugged. “I’m fine. It’s not like I was in love with him or anything.”
“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
Lance gave a weak laugh. “Yeah.” He sat on the edge of his bed, going over the conversation with Keith again. “At least he wasn’t cruel about it.”
“I think that makes it harder, hm? It would be easier to move on if you could find a reason to hate him.”
“Coran?” Lance bit his lip. “Did you ever… I guess you did- but how did you?”
Coran smiled, understanding Lance’s questions easily enough. “I did.” He wiggled his gloved fingers. “I thought I’d never love again. But, it wasn’t long after I’d been rebuked -nicely, mind you- that I found my love. I wasn’t looking, but there he was.”
“Did you ever move on… after he…?”
“After he was torn from me?” Coran sighed. “I couldn’t. And by the time I thought I was ready, nearly a decade later, the war started. A few years of fighting on the losing side of the war… and then I woke up to you five.”
“We can’t replace what you lost, but we are here for you.” Lance reached out to grab one of Coran’s hands. “Thank you for, you know.”
“I’ll always be here for you too, Lance.” He ran his thumb over Lance’s hand, the soft material of his glove a sad reminder of his loss. “I-”
Lance looked up as Coran cut himself off. “Hm?”
Coran looked back down to their joined hands. “It’s nothing.”
“You look like you’ve eaten some bad goo, what’s wrong?” Lance studied Coran’s face, searching for the reason for his sudden melancholy.
With a sigh, Coran met his eyes. “I don’t think it is an appropriate time to ask.”
“Ask what?” Lance swallowed, racking his brain for what could have Coran so unsure.
“If, once you have had time to heal from this rejection… if you would like to have tea with me.”
“We can have tea now?”
Coran straightened his back. “I am asking if you would consider a date with me. Would you be averse to pursuing a relationship with me?”
“I-” Lance blinked. “With me? And you?”
Coran nodded. “I know it is sudden.”
Lance looked Coran over. He was older… not someone he would usually pursue. But, not unattractive. “Sorry, i just never… considered you? Is it even okay?”
Coran pulled his hand away. “Forget I asked,” His voice was a strained.
“Wait.” Lance bit his lip. “You like me?”
Coran nodded. “Since the moment I laid eyes on you.” He bowed his head, “I do not wish to make you uncomfortable.”
“No… it’s just. No one’s ever asked me…” Lance eyed Coran’s gloves. “I- okay. I guess it’s worth the try, right? And if it doesn’t work…”
“Then we go back to being friends.” Coran’s eyes sparkled as he smiled. “Shall we say the next lull in battle?”
Lance nodded.
“Then until then.” He gave a mock bow before leaving.
Lance fell back into his bed, “What a day.”
“There you are.” Coran’s voice carried up the small hill, muffled slightly by the crunch of the leaves under his feet. “I was wondering where you got to.”
Lance opened his eyes but didn't lift his head from where it rested on his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his legs for warmth, even with his jacket the breeze gave him a slight chill.
“Hey, Coran.” It was a weak reply. Over Coran’s shoulder, he could see the castle in the distance. This was the first respite any of them had since they landed on this planet a few days ago.
Coran paused a few feet away, “Would you like some company?”
Lance closed his eyes again as another cold breeze blew against his face. If it were anyone but Coran, he would laugh it off and stretch out, say something like he wanted to enjoy being outside with some peace and quiet. But it was Coran.
“Always.” He patted the grassy ground next to him without opening his eyes.
He felt Coran sit next to him, his warm arm sliding against his. Lance turned his head on his knees and blinked opened his eyes. Coran was leaning back against the large tree trunk with his legs stretched before him, looking deceptively at ease.
Lance tensed when Coran’s hand found his, but he quickly relaxed. Their relationship was still new, very new, and they were both still working it out. “What has you troubled? We drove the Galra off this planet, save the people here… you flew spectacularly”
Lance grinned at the compliment, but it quickly fell from his face. “I miss Earth.” Lance sighed. It was so easy to just open up to Coran. “I always do…”
Coran squeezed his hand. “Anything particularly different about today?”
“Not the day, no.” Lance pulled his head away from his knees to look at the tree towering above them. “I don’t even know what day it is back home. I stopped keeping track months ago.” It was probably closer to a year ago, but he'd stopped counting that as well.
The wind picked up, rustling the branches above them. Some brightly colored leaves were blown free, falling around them. Lance reached for a leaf which landed at his foot, twirling the stem gently between his fingers.
Coran waited patiently for him to continue.
“I don’t even know if the biology of plants works the same here. But back home, when the leaves are these colors it means the seasons are changing. Fall was my favorite.” Lance glanced over at Coran. “Did Altea have seasons? I guess it would, huh?”
“Yes, oh how the Spinwickets would start to rustle!” He looked at Lance fondly, “Our foliage changed colors as well, bright magentas and vibrant purples… it was beautiful. And if I'm not mistaken, I am troubled by the same thing as you. We have - had- many traditions on Altea with each season. I miss them.”
It was Lance’s turn to offer a comforting hand squeeze. For all his homesickness, he still had one to go back to… as far as he knew. “Tell me about them.”
“My favorite tradition on Altea was the Swenn Color Festival. It was the most romantic time! Traditionally, you collected the fallen leaves and made an arrangement from them. Some got very elaborate!”
Lance listened carefully to Coran’s passionate explanation. “It sounds beautiful.”
“Oh it was! But that was just the beginning! Then, on the last night of the sixth Opeale, everyone gathered for a grand feast.” He smiled, a far away look in his eyes. “Everyone would dress like various beings from old lore, some not even Altean. Before the feast began, those who wished to would offer their foliage to someone....”
Coran trailed off, as if he were reliving every festival at once. He had the same gleam in his eyes Lance often caught when Coran didn’t think he was looking. That bittersweet expression was becoming more and more common.
He wanted to know more, so he gently squeezed Coran’s hand again to pull him back to the moment. “What then?”
“Ah. Well.” A slight blush crept up his neck. “Traditionally, if the person accepted the offering, the two were betrothed. More contemporarily it was a fun way to express love, and some used it as a way to announce their engagement to their families.”
“So, you would make leaf art, dress up in costumes, propose to your partner, then hog out on delicious food? Sign me up! It's like three of our holidays rolled into one!”
Coran beamed at Lance’s summary. “Essentially.” He chuckled, “But it lost most of its actual meaning by my day.”
“Yea, most of ours were just lip service to the original. But the traditions were fun, and a lot involved gifts, food, or candy.”
Coran hummed. “The food ones were always my favorite.”
Another cold breeze blew and Lance scooted against Coran’s side. “Mine too. Maybe we can combine some of ours and have a nice team bonding thing.”
Coran shifted so he could wrap his arm around Lance. “Yes, it could do wonders for morale!”
“Then let's get started.” Lance laid his head on Coran’s shoulder. “But first, let's enjoy the calmness.” He breathed in, the combination of the leaves and Coran was relaxing. He pushed away his worries, about Zarkon, about telling Hunk and the others about his relationship with Coran.
Soft lips brushed against his temple, and it was the last thing he remembered before dozing off.