Chapter Text
Lance and Keith made their way back, guiding Kaltenecker along the way and bid each other goodnight; Keith gave him a long look and it felt soft and Lance felt the weight of what that look meant. Keith was trusting whatever decision Lance would make and went to the camp they had set up with the tents and their sleeping bags. Lance instead of joining them, looked to make sure that everyone else was sleeping. It was so late and quiet. This asteroid was strange enough to have an atmosphere and grass, but there was a severe lack of animals.
Lance walked Red into the hanger of Red and he was about to head out to join the rest of the crew sleeping but he stopped himself, he could always try and go to Blue, like Keith said. But somehow it just didn’t feel right. He and Red only just recently got close. So instead, he walked over to the cockpit in red.
He looked at the chair, and the controls and he felt his chest get tight.
Your thoughts? Red asked and Lance took a deep breath, settling in the chair.
“Kinda hard to share my thoughts when I’m not even sure what it is that I want.” Lance sighed, leaning back and looking at the ceiling Red waited, nudged at him a couple of times but didn’t force anything, “I want..I want to go home.” He finally whispered, so softly he barely heard himself. But read heard.
Why wouldn’t you be able to go home?
“Because the castle was destroyed? Because you’re having a hard enough time trying to get power?” Lance responded, his eyes stinging at the corner just thinking about the sheer distance.
Oh Paladin. Red soothed, the a glow permeating from the entire cabin, the handles themselves started to glow the same way the teludav controls glowed when Allura controlled them.
Just picture where you want to go.
Lance took a deep breath, and reached out, and took the control, picturing Earth, with the moon, and the waters where he was born. He wanted to go home, like something unlocking in the back of his mind and Red took off, flying through the atmosphere in taking up his viewer was a tiny blue portal, a tiny blue portal that lead to his tiny blue planet.
From a distance it didn’t look any different. Home was still home and the water was just as blue as he left it and he could feel the pull of the ocean. He knew exactly where he wanted to go.
Varadero beach had white sand, much darker in the shadows of the moon and his mother as blue and beautiful as ever. Lance took a shuttering breath and he reached for the container containing the last of Altea’s waters. He even took his pendant off, carefully pouring the small amount of water back into the container before making the journey back outside.
He shed his paladin armor. Now just in his shirt and shorts. Feet bare and pressing into the sand and it wasn’t quite home, but the short road to getting there. And his feet finally touched the first wave and he cried. It was silent and it was so full of love of his mom just welcoming him back openly and asking him so many questions. He knelt down and put his hand in the water.
I’ll explain Mami, but first…I have to ask you to do something. A planet, a far far away planet has lost all of its water but what I’m holding. I don’t want that planet to disappear. I want it to become part of you. So their songs can… can live on.
Of course. His mother responded, lifting up a part of herself to stroke his arm. He chuckled past his tears and took a deep breath. He opened the container, and tipped it out into the expanding sea.
It was like ripple of music as old Altean songs merged with Earth's younger melodies, it was a weight off of Lance to see that the water was accepted. It was safe and would be remembered. He watched as the glowing water parted and spread. Spreading and spreading until the glow disappeared. But lance could feel it. He could feel Altea’s water singing with his mother, sharing and getting to know its new home.
He smiled and stood up, basking in the breeze, feeling the wet sand between his toes even ankle deep in his mother. He knew this peace couldn't have lasted. Life above water was so fleeting. Behind him he heard the roars of the lions. The shaking of the earth as they landed.
Allura was the one to approach him her feet crunching on this sand with reproach and a lack of empathy. Anyone else would have called out to him, and he knew that she wasn’t going to be happy. But if she pulled anything on His planet on His shore, she had another thing coming. The disappointment she had in him radiated out in waves. Disappointment in the way he left. How he wasn’t enough. How he couldn’t conform.
But his disappointment was on equal footing. Disappointment on how she hadn't listened to him about Shiro. How she ignored the team and their well being for Lotor. Enumerable other minor infractions. He looked out at the horizon, not bothering with acknowledging Allura was there, her short breaths steaming out in a poor attempt to keep her temper. His mother gentle rushing with the waves around him, attempting grounding him.
“Lance, we are at war. You’ve stolen the Red lion, endangered your planet. Your family. It doesn’t matter that you were homesick what you did was selfish and cruel. If not for Keith we may not been able to come back together to form Voltron before it was too late. You need to grow up and act your age.”
There was a ringing in Lance’s ears, “Act my age?” he mutters softly to the wind, a gust brushing past him the water darkening as he turned to face Allura.
“What the fuck is that,” He aggressed motioning to Allura, “Act my AGE?”
Then the storm came in anger long simmering inside him, angry at her. Angry at Zarkon and Haggar and Lotor and all the other people who couldn’t understand the DEPTH of their stupidity.
“What do I CARE about how old I am.” He was the son of the ocean. He was a DEMI god and he was a PALADIN OF VOLTRON. He pulled on his power calling for the water, for the help of his mother. And she responded with a roar flaring up behind him in a wall of righteous motherly fury. Towering above him and casting himself as well as Allura in shadow.
“The ocean is old as FUCK.” The water rose even higher, “But it will still DROWN your ass with VIGOR.” And the water crashed down behind him sending mist flying and the gust made Allura gasp and take a step back her hair flying behind her.
He felt his eyes burn as Lance glared at Allura, “So WHAT do I care about how OLD I am?” He shouted, his voice cracking at the end and his shoulders rose and fell with each breath he took. He wanted to scream, he wanted to yell. He wanted to drown her and Voltron and the Galran empire he wanted to be HOME and he wanted to be with his MOM. What was so WRONG ABOUT THAT. He turned around to face the horizon so he didn’t have to look in the face of Allura. So he wouldn’t get angry all over again.
Time passed, but he didn’t know how long.
“Lance?” Came a soft voice and Lance jerked his head up. When had he sunk to his knee’s? Keith was there, his hair damp and brows creasced with worry. “There you are.” Kieth soothes with a soft smile.
“It’s gonna be okay.” Keith continues, his hands on Lance’s shoulders now, squeezing gently. “You probably missed this place right? I can see why.”
“I missed my mom the most.” Lance choked out. Reaching down to touch the water, feeling her love and concern. “I missed her touch, her love. Her songs.” And in the back of lance’s mind along with the song of the blue lion was the Lullaby of the ocean. His shoulders shook as the chains of loneliness and homesickness fell away. The ache that had become far larger than his heart could hold was being soothed and healed by two of the most important people in his life.
Keith was hugging Lance close saying whispering things that didn’t make sense, “Staying here, vacation. Hunk.”
Lance sniffled, “Hunk’s here?”
Keith nodded, “Yeah, mentioned something about finding HIS mom. Disappeared with Yellow. Shiro’s gone to Japan. Pidge’s is with the other’s making camp. Allura is pretty shaken.”
“She deserves it.” Lance slurs feeling more tired than he had ever felt before. He wanted to sleep.
“Come one Lance, Let’s get you in a bed.” Lance shook his head.
“’Sleep in the ocean.”
Keith froze, “Uh, can you breathe underwater?” Lance shrugs.
“I’m different when I’m with ‘er…not…fully human? Corporeal? Washed a’shore one day…now I’m me.”
“That…doesn’t really help me feel better about letting you sleep in the ocean for the night.”
Lance chuckles kissing Keith on the neck, “’ll be fine doofus. ‘night.” And lance fell back into his mother’s embrace letting his form just... flow again.
--
Morning came far too soon when Lance had to pull himself back together. Keith was waiting on the shore his face morphed in childlike awe. “That’s amazing…” He murmurs and reached for lance, Lance returns the embrace and they hug.
“You know, I think there are still some secrets you haven’t told us yet.”
Lance hums, “I’ll tell you later, first I gotta find a fairy stone. I need to check something out about Pidge.”
“Should I be worried?” Lance laughed, not answering his question.