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A wistful sigh tumbles out of Lance’s mouth as he tried to keep his eyes glued to the floor, broom in hand. The blue tiles are immaculate, but he knows if he looks up to see the ticker tape falling from the sky just outside his window, he’ll crack.
The Parade Of Magic is one of the most exciting times of the year, but Lance isn’t able to enjoy it because he’s stuck inside his family’s stupid bakery.
A large pout works over his face as he furiously sweeps the same spot again and again.
It wasn’t his fault that Iverson had no sense of humor; the man’s eyebrows would grow back!
He sighs softly, face relaxing as his shoulders droop. So maybe rigging the man’s daily cream filled doughnut to explode in his face had been a bad idea...though to Lance’s credit, it had been a pretty good explosion spell.
Soft drum beats begin outside and a slow rumble of cheering begins to shake the bakery windows. Lance looks up just in time to see bright fireworks pop in the blue sky; a dragon made of light roars and showers the crowd in sparkles.
The broom clatters to the floor as Lance scurries over to the window; he presses his face against the glass, eyes wide as he watches witches and wizards of every shape and size whizz by on their enchanted brooms. A noise of awe leaves his mouth as a few perform aerial feats he could only dream of.
Suddenly a cloud of dark plum coats the sky and the roar of the crowd increases in volume. Lance stands on his tiptoes in order to see over the heads of people who have clustered against the bakery. His face is practically one with the glass as his eyes strain to see. He knows who that is, just like everyone in Ingary does.
Shiro, the Black Wizard of Voltron.
The man is a legend amongst those attending the Garrison. Powerful, a genius in the air, rumored to be incredibly kind, and Lance’s personal hero.
The plum colored smoke turns into lilac colored petals as it settles to the ground. People cheer as Shiro does another corkscrew which sends a wave of sparkling magic to crackle overhead.
Lance bites the inside of his cheek, watching in envy as the people in front of the shop laugh in delight. The magic pops on their skin and colors them in small purple flowers which soon fade.
He needs to be out there!
Lance gnaws on the inside of his cheek and glances around the shop. It isn’t as if someone was gonna come in when the parade was going on.
He flips the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’ with a small smile of victory and locks the door; he would be back before anyone (his mom) found out.
Lance sneaks out of the back door and down alleyways. Lilac twists in the brick, a faint purple glow coming from the flowers as he runs by only to fade as soon as he looks at them. Lance turns his face up, eyes wide as he watches the arc of plum colored smoke disappear along with Shiro.
He slows his pace down to a walk, face still turned toward the sky. More brooms whoosh by trailed by their own colors but none of them catch Lance’s attention. He sighs softly, a tiny smile curling his mouth as he looks down at his arm. A few bursts of purple have settled on the sleeve of his jacket before fading to nothing.
Lance continues at a more leisurely pace toward Hunk’s family’s restaurant. There’s a group of people sitting on the outside patio, eyes wide as they cheer for the other witches and wizards. He sees Hunk moving easily between the packed tables and jogs up to the iron railing that separates the patio from the sidewalk.
“What’s up, buddy?” Lance smiles sunnily. Hunk lifts a tray on to his broad shoulder and raises a brow.
“I thought you were locked up today?” A shower of yellow sparkles burst overhead, drawing everyone’s attention to the scene.
Lance’s smile dies to a smirk and he taps the side of his nose with a long finger. “You think four walls can hold me back from the parade? Oh ye of little faith!”
He follows Hunk inside and ducks out of the way of bustling kitchen staff. His friend snorts and grabs another tray heavy with food. “I didn’t think four walls could keep you in, but your mom on the other hand...”
Lance winces. “I’m gonna be back before she even knows.” He waves his hands in the air, trying to illustrate his point. “Shiro was here this year, you know I couldn’t miss that!”
Hunk’s face creases with something close to disappointment for his friend. He knows how much the other looks up to the wizard, and it’s well known that the Black Wizard doesn’t attend these sorts of events often. “You get to see anything?”
Lance follows Hunk out on to the patio and makes sure to keep out of the way as the larger male serves food. “I kinda didn’t make it totally in time to see everything,” a wistful sigh tumbles from Lance’s mouth. “Maybe next year...?”
Hunk opens his lips to give Lance a response, but he closes them with a clack of his jaw. “Dude, dude! Your mom’s coming this way!”
Lance jolts with a start and swings around to see his mother and grandmother speaking with Hunk’s own parents. His mom’s bright blue hair isn’t hard to miss after all. “Shit!” He ducks behind a table and waves a hand; a few patrons are hiding their grins behind bites of food, the regulars used to Lance’s antics. “Distract them! I need to get outta here or I’m toast!”
Hunk looks a little lost and a lot panicked as he tries to think of what to do. Lance knows he can count on the big guy to not rat him out...but the distraction part may be pushing it.
He manages to jump over the iron fence that separates the patio from the street and into some bushes just as he hears Hunk’s overly loud “Ms. McClain! What a surprise!”
There’s a loud pop and more showers of magic sparkle over head as Lance makes his way down an alley. He doesn’t have to run, but his heart is pounding against his breast bone and he’s feeling a little giddy with managing to escape his mom’s wrath—at least for the moment.
He suddenly collides with something that feels like a brick wall and lands squarely on his ass. “Oww, jeez...” Lance winces, trying to get up only to be pulled upwards by the scruff of his shirt.
“Watch where you’re going, brat!” Lance makes a face at the Garrison guard as the big man glares. His admittedly long legs are left swinging as the guard holds him up and lets him dangle.
His hands go up to try and claw at the man’s hands, and a tooth gritted grin splits over Lance’s face. “M-maybe you shouldn’t be taking up the entire alley, asshole. People need to walk through here!” The man’s hand tightens around Lance’s collar and his other hand curls into a fist.
Well now he’s gonna end up with a black eye and his mom’ll know he broke out.
“You need to learn some manners, kid.” The guard is readying for a swing; Lance screws his eyes closed and waits for the impact.
After a few moments...nothing happens. He opens one eye and then the other, surprised because the guard is frozen in place. “Honestly, you’re the one who needs to learn some manners.” A deep voice rings out just behind Lance before a soft swish makes the guard loosen his fingers.
Lance drops to his feet and collapses briefly on to the ground. Someone lands next to him, and when he looks up he’s nearly blinded by the sun. “Are you hurt?” Lance squints up at the figure and grabs the offered hand; he’s pulled up and has to contain the yelp of surprise when his hero stands before him.
Like a normal person!
“Uh...yeah?” He says lamely and then instantly wants to smack himself.
Shiro tilts his head, a small smile playing with the edges of his mouth before he turns to the still frozen guard. His expression morphs into annoyance and he flicks his fingers dismissively. “Off you go.” The guard snaps to attention and ambles off almost robotically.
Lance stares at the wizard with an awestruck expression; it was so effortless how he sent that guy off with a manipulation spell! His mind catches up and he blurts out “Thank you!” Lance beams at Shiro, “Seriously dude, that was amazing!”
The wizard almost looks...bashful, and rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Oh, you’re welcome.” He rolls a shoulder in a shrug and lets his hand flop back to his side. “It was no problem.”
Lance is almost about to burst. He wants to tell Shiro that the man is his hero, that everyday at the Garrison he studied to be as proficient in the magical arts as the other man.
But that would probably creep him out.
Shiro clears his throat and snaps his fingers to allow his broom to shoot into his hand. “Well, it was nice to meet you...?”
At the expectant look, Lance realizes that the man is asking for his name. He feels his face flush in embarrassment. “Lance! Uh, Lance McClain.”
“Oh, my name is—“
“I already know.” An awkward pause makes Lance freeze and then groan. He drops his head into his hands. “Shit, I mean—like, everyone knows who you are and...Like, you’re my hero—I sound like a total creep!”
A snort of amusement makes Lance pull his hands from his face, blue eyes wide in surprise. Shiro has a hand over his mouth, but his eyes are creased at the corners. “I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you...”
Lance huffs, face bright red while a pout forms over his lips. “I sure messed up my first introduction.”
The Black Wizard drops his hand from his mouth and offers the younger male a smile. “No, it was memorable. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
Lance’s eyes widen and he feels his mouth pull into a grin. Oh wow, Shiro didn’t think he was a creep!
The town’s clock tower begins to chime and suddenly the magic of meeting his hero is washed away by dread. Lance twists to look at the tower in the distance and splutters our a curse. “Oh no!”
“What’s wrong?” He turns back to see that Shiro is giving him a concerned look. Lance will freak out about that later because he has more pressing matters on his hands.
“I need to get back to my family’s bakery! I uh...kinda snuck out today.” He lets out a strangled sounding laugh. “But it was awesome to meet you, I gotta go—“
“Do you need a ride?” Lance stumbles over his hasty goodbye and gives the Wizard a wide eyed look. Shiro gestures toward the broom held in his other hand. “I could get you there pretty fast...um, if you want?”
It takes all of two seconds before Lance is nearly launching himself toward the taller male. “That would be awesome, thank you!” He’s feeling a little light headed, but as the wizard adjusts their bodies to fit on the broom, Lance discretely pinches himself to make sure he’s not dreaming.
It’s real.
Shiro looks over his shoulder and gives Lance a small grin. “Hold on tight.” He pushes off from the ground and shoots them into the sky as quick as a bullet. Lance scrambled to grab hold of the only other solid thing, and wraps his arms around Shiro’s middle.
He’s pretty sure his face is as red as Keith’s mom’s roses as his arms tighten around a very muscular middle. “You’re gonna have to direct me, Lance.” The wind whips around their heads as they hover high in the air.
Lance lifts a shaky hand and points in the direction of his family’s bakery, cheek pressed flat against Shiro’s back and enjoying every moment. He can feel the vibrations of the man laughing softly even though the sound disappears in the wind.
True to his word, Shiro gets Lance home quickly. They land on the shop’s rooftop garden gently, feet pressed against the soft green of the grass. Lance gets off of the broom, heart in his throat as he gets his bearings straight.
“Thanks...” He says softly, shakily lifting a hand to his windswept hair. Shiro looks even worse for wear, though the way his black and white hair has been tossed about looks good on him. His cheeks are dusted a soft pink—from the wind or from close they were Lance isn’t sure.
“It wasn’t a problem,” the Black Wizard smiles at him, expression soft. Lance doesn’t know what to say—surprising because he almost always knows. Shiro hums and then pushes off of the ground. He hovers a few feet, a considering look on his face before he moves his hand as if catching something.
“Here,” he leans forward on the broom and opens his hand to reveal a purple lilac. Lance takes the flower, mouth open in a small ‘o’. The lilac feels warm, almost like sunshine as it rests in his hands; magic is heavy in the petals and he knows somehow that it won’t fade like the others.
“Thank you,” Lance breathes, looking up from the flower only to see that Shiro is gone.