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Since becoming part of Team Voltron, Lance had been scared. Terrified, really. Yes, it was because he was in space, far away from his family, risking his life, being given responsibilities he didn’t always know how to handle. But it was also because he had a secret. Something only his family knew about him, something he was afraid of, something that he knew could rip him apart if he let it.
As the team grew closer together and relationships between Paladins were forming, Lance began to trust everyone more and more. He had to, for them to be able to form Voltron. Everyone, though rough at the start, had found a way to work with each other. They’d grown incredibly close, and a once rivalry between Lance and Keith had dissipated, leaving them with something unidentifiable that they both knew they didn’t share with anyone else on the team.
Keith was sort of the first to confess, although it was more of a mutual type thing. It was after dinner one night, they were alone and cleaning up, and Keith quietly said, “It’s hard to believe I hated you at one point.”
Lance replied by saying he never really hated Keith, he was just jealous of him. When Keith asked what he had that Lance didn’t, Lance shied away from the question and moved onto saying that he liked Keith. He said it in a way where Keith would’ve had to have liked him back to be able to understand what Lance really meant, and he did.
Keith paused what he was doing, walked over to Lance, and gently kissed him. “I like you, too,” he admitted when his lips left Lance’s. They’d decided to officially start dating when they were in Keith’s room at about 2 am. Lance was over the moon, but he was also anxious about when he would have to tell Keith the one thing no one here knew about him.
A few weeks went by, Keith and Lance hadn’t told anyone they were together, they didn’t really know how the other Paladins would react. They held hands sometimes, but the biggest change between them was how they acted towards each other. It was no longer the awkward getting-over-hating-you type deal that it was before; now they could comfortably be around each other and not cause any tension between the group.
Pidge was the first to ask Lance what had happened between him and Keith, she was always quite perceptive, and Lance didn’t hesitate to tell her that he and Keith were together. Sure, she’d definitely mock them, but he knew she’d support them, and it felt really good for someone else to know.
Hunk was the second to notice, approaching them during a day off and asking, “are you guys a thing? Or am I making something up?”
They gradually told the rest of the Paladins and Allura and Coran. Everyone was supportive and happy for them, and relieved that they were getting along. Shiro had once pulled them aside to talk about how to deal with it if they ever broke up, so they wouldn’t wreck the team, and Lance and Keith didn’t think they’d break up, but listened to what Shiro had to say anyway. The second thing Shiro brought up, which was incredibly awkward for both of them, was sex and safety. He told them to be safe, gave them “safety supplies” and left.
Lance and Keith hadn’t talked about sex on their own, and hadn’t gone past intensely making out. Lance was fearful of going further.
Months into their relationship, one night, they’d been making out, both of them were incredibly aroused, Keith had taken his own shirt off and moved to take Lance’s shirt off, and Lance stopped him. He bolted to sit up and breathed, “I can’t.” He whispered those two words maybe five more times, more to himself than to Keith, and he was crying now.
He wanted so bad to go further, but he was being held back by this secret he’d been harboring from everyone. Keith sat in front of him, brushed away the tears on Lance’s cheek, asked, “what’s wrong?”
Lance took a few shaky breaths, and gave it a lot of thought. He couldn’t hide this from Keith forever. He knew Keith would be supportive, he knew it wouldn’t go poorly, but it was terrifying. No matter what the circumstances were, how sure you were of a reaction, it would always be terrifying. But being a part of Team Voltron had taught him to face his fears, and if anything, it would only make him stronger.
One more breath in and Lance spoke quietly, “There’s something you should know.” Keith nodded, mouthing the word ‘okay.’ “Okay, uh, take off my shirt.” Keith looked confused, and honestly, this wasn’t really what Lance had planned but he thought he might chicken out if he was left to saying it directly. Keith obliged, slowly leaning forward and grabbing the hem of Lance’s shirt to pull it off. Under the shirt, Lance had scars across his chest, only a little bit visible at the time, but enough that Keith could still see them.
“You’re-”
Trans. Transgender, Female to male, full on, transgender. Laney knew she was different, thought she was just a tomboy. That’s what everyone else called her. She wore the most boyish clothes her parents would get her, she played sports, most of her friends were boys. The first time she’d ever been called a boy was in 3rd grade when her friend Michael was introducing her to his friends and he’d said, “She’s just a boy in a girl’s body.” She felt comfort in that sentence, and she felt comfort in Michael. He understood her.
Michael was Laney’s friend all through their preteen years, and naturally, he was the first one Laney called when she found out about transgender. He rode his bike to her house and she told him all about it: what it meant to be transgender, how a lot of transgender people transition, how she was transgender and wanted to transition fully. He was her support system, and he was there when Laney came out to her family.
They were all eating dinner, and as other conversations died down, Laney piped up. “I have an important announcement,” she started. She was afraid, she didn’t know how her family would react, she didn’t know if she’d have to leave them and never talk to them again. She didn’t know what consequences she might face. But it was worth it, if it meant she could be Lance. “I’ve grown up being told I was a tomboy, being taught how I should be feminine. I am not a tomboy, and I don’t want to be feminine. My name is Lance, and I’m a boy. I’m transgender.”
Lance looked first to Michael, who looked back with a glimmer of pride in his eye. Then he looked at his mom, who was obviously still processing. Then he turned his gaze to his three siblings, who’d all gone back to eating. He looked at his dad last, his dad who’s reaction he was most afraid of, his dad who said, “Let’s have a father-son bonding time after dinner,” which made Lance cry.
Michael and Lance washed the dishes, and then Michael had to go. Before he left, he told Lance that he was proud of him and that he wished him good luck with the “bonding time,” with coming out to everyone else, and with talking to his parents about transitioning. With that, Michael left Lance to his family.
The “bonding time” with his dad was essentially just his dad asking him questions about being trans. “Are you sure,” “How do you know,” “Do you want your mother and I to legally change your name to Lance,” “What does this mean?” The conversation ended with Lance’s dad better understanding what it meant to be trans, agreeing to change Lance’s name legally, and agreeing to look into Lance taking testosterone.
He was so supportive of Lance, and Lance couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. It meant everything to him that not only his dad, but the rest of his immediate family was so eager to learn more about the trans community and what transitioning would be like.
He started T a little more than two years before and he’d had top surgery just over 4 months before starting at the Garrison. No one knew him there, so it was a fresh start for him to just be Lance, a normal boy. He’d been saving up for bottom surgery, but he didn’t get to have it done before he became part of Team Voltron. Still, he was more confident than he’d ever been, albeit he was a little dysphoric at times, especially of his scars.
“- trans.”
“Yea,” Lance whispered, “I’m trans.” This was his first time coming out since he’d told his grandparents, and he forgot how good it felt to say it.
“Lance? I love you no matter what. Your body’s beautiful, you’re beautiful, and everything about you is beautiful, too.” Lance couldn’t help but let another tear fall, and he leaned forward to hug Keith. His chest was warm against Lance’s and he felt like home. He felt like home.