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It takes them so long to notice.
Shiro’s was the first, and the most obvious. The scar on his nose never faded, growing only more stark as his Marie Antoinette syndrome persisted, his hair slowly fading to white.
Keith was second. His shoulder never really healed from the wound he received during the Trials of Marmora, and the Red Paladin learned to swordfight with both hands to keep the injury from inhibiting his abilities.
They get hurt. It’s practically in the job description (a job that they didn’t actually sign up for, but details). Over the years, those hurts accumulate. Advanced as Altean tech may be, the cryopods can’t heal everything.
Hunk’s left knee took a serious hit about half a year into Voltron’s existence. He’s okay, but standing for long periods of time is just no, even with the brace he and Coran and Pidge designed.
Pidge’s left hand and forearm is traced with Lichtenberg figures like red lace. There’s not much feeling past the elbow. The mobility is still mostly there, but they’ve all noticed that the Green Paladin uses their right hand more than their left when working, now.
Lance’s right leg is half scar tissue from shrapnel. Not even being a long-range sniper could protect him when a bomb went off right next to his nest. He’d kept the leg, but it’s stiff at best and painful at worst.
They have other scars too, they all do. Shiro’s arm is long gone, even before he became the Black Paladin. Now, though, it’s Altean white instead of the gray and Galra purple of his old one. Half of Hunk’s back is several shades paler than it is supposed to be. Keith has a terrible set of clawmarks hooking over his jaw and down the right side of his throat. Lance has a twinned mark front-and-back where an enemy sniper’s bullet had passed through his body (he’d almost met his match that day, but the Blue Paladin was still standing and the Galra sharpshooter was not, and that was that). Pidge’s right temple is marked with a starburst shape, mostly hidden under curls of hair but they never forget it, how close it had been.
There are more. The Paladins have been wounded, frequently and heavily, but they are all still alive and breathing. They have many scars, but the ones they notice the most are the ones that Lance one day realized (how did it take them this long to realize) delineate their roles in forming Voltron. He’d found it hilarious – they’ll always be Voltron now.
The others had just rolled their eyes, but it had relieved a little of the tension. It’s more than scars, after all.
They are Paladins. Physical marks or no, they really will always be Voltron.