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Chapter Text

“Wait so you are actually twins? He got all the looks, huh?”

She heard this way too many times for it to be a welcomed statement at this point. It delivered the meaning that whoever said this didn’t think she could be pretty or that her brother wasn’t smart to any extent. They should be one or the other but didn’t know which one was worse.

Rachel McClain thought she left that statement buried in the ashes of her destroyed house back in Cuba, but here, miles away in another country after an alien invasion she was faced with it again. Keith, the emo brooding Paladin, smiled at her handing her a drink while Lance slept on his hospital bed.

Apparently after the delayed arrival of the Red Lion to Lance, he sustained catastrophic injuries to his abdominal areas causing a lot of complications that sent him straight to surgery. He didn’t feel the severity of the pain until the adrenaline completely left his system and he collapsed the second he reached the Garrison base.

As one of the youngest second year residents at the local hospital in the area she lived in, planning to specialise in cardiothoracic surgery, she dreadfully understood every word the doctor said. She understood the sugar-coated version he said to her parents and could point out all the hidden messages between the lines. Veronica looked at her sister silently giving her a warning that she will demand to know the truth regardless of what the doctor told her.

“What?” She stared at Keith dumbfounded. She had just told him what she studied and her future plans in specialised surgery.

“I mean, Lance is very good-looking, even he knows it, and you are like crazy smart. I mean a freaking surgeon! That is everything compared to piloting, if I say so myself.”

Lance had admitted to his sister the second he stepped foot into the base, after all their hugs and introductions and private family alone time, that he was dating the Black paladin. She went wide eyed and hugged her brother even tighter than the first time, congratulating him for finally admitting that all the made up rivalry he would call her about at three in the morning was actually an oppressed crush on the boy.

“Piloting is very complicated.”

“Well, yeah. But we don’t cut people open and fix their insides all while taking into account the differences found in each person.”

“You seem very interested in medicine.” she said dryly.

She was trying so hard to put an effort into staying civil with the boy, but she hated having these conversations if the person was this close to her brother. From experience, it always ended badly.

“It’s a pretty interesting field, and Lance doesn’t talk about anything this serious if it wasn’t about a mission or a face mask, so I would love to hear your stories.”

“So you’re calling your boyfriend, my twin brother and best friend, dumb.”

“What?” Keith took a step back from Rachel, defensive. “Of course not.”

“Then why did you say that?”

“That I am interested in medicine?”

“That He got all the looks and that you can’t believe that we are twins.” She took a step forward the more he took a step back. “That Lance doesn’t talk about anything interesting. Did you ever ask him about his interests?”

Keith opened his mouth to answer but Rachel cut him off.

“Of course not. You wanna know how I know? You called him boring. You called him dumb. If you actually asked him you would know that he was offered a full scholarship to get into Biochemistry or Pharmacy. He knows the complexity of chemical compounds and what makes up a medicine better than a third year pharmacist. You would know that he has been experimenting ever since he was a kid and that the first thing he had ever asked for, ever, was a set of lab apparatus’.

“He, unfortunately, also read too much for his own good that he fantasized about space for as long as he could read. He read about where he could find the best Piloting schools and studied for the entrance exam like it was boot camp for two months to be prepared for the advanced classes’ finals without actually attending their classes to get another scholarship as to not hurt our parents financially. He thought about the good of the whole family before making any decisions and you have the audacity of implying that he is boring or dumb?”

Keith stared at her wide eyed. Suffocating silence save for the beeping of the heart monitor hooked onto Lance indicating that he is alive and well and on earth. She almost felt bad for Keith but quickly stopped herself. If she didn’t set some things straight now, no one will. He needed to know more about Lance and that whatever the idea or persona he chose to hold as a mask was just that, a mask. He was much more complex than that. He had feelings, sometimes too much, and he overthinks about the tiniest of gestures and words that it was easy for him to get hurt. But when it was easy for you to get hurt because you learn to hide, to not attract attention onto yourself, to protect yourself from the prying eyes whether it be a boyfriend, a sister or a parent.

It took her years to perfect her ‘Lance Language’ and she was not about to sit and watch her brother’s relationship get wrecked, again, simply because his boyfriend didn’t take time out of his day to actually put some effort into getting to know him.

“Rach…” A small low voice came out from the other side of the room, next to the beeping sound. Lance. “Don’t grill my boyfriend when I’m asleep. Wait for me to be conscious so I can defend him.”

All the pent up tension in her muscles melted at the sound of her brother’s voice. She fast walked to his side and held his hand, her thumb massaging his knuckles. His abnormally pallor face looked at her with half-lidded ocean blue eyes, another feature they both shared. His scarred right eyebrow rose while pointing at Keith with his eyes.

Code: Don’t talk to my boyfriend like that, I actually care about him.

Her face softened tenfold and she smiled at him.

Code: I love you and I don’t care. I will set my power over him.

“Wait… twin telepathy is a real thing?” Keith’s wobbly voice sent both the siblings into a fit of laughter. Painfully so in Lance’s case.

“Guess you’ll never know, Mullet.” Lance looked at his boyfriend, eyes filled with love and admiration. He held his hand to the other male, urging him to take it. Keith didn’t disappoint.

“Dr. McClain.” Keith started looking at her. “I love your brother and i swear to you that i will put 120% of my efforts into making sure he is loved, healthy and appreciated.”

She smiled at him and made her way to leave. Maybe by some space miracle, this relationship would be different. She already asked Shiro about Keith and shared her fears onto the older ex-Paladin. He assured her that if Keith was given a warning about something, he will do more than just fix it… He would perfect it; apparently it was something he learned at the Home.

Even thought she was assured he was different, this was still her brother.

“Oh, and Dr. McClain.” She turned to Keith right before leaving the room to give them some privacy. “Lance didn’t get all the looks; I mean he is quite beautiful… But so are you. Please don’t take it like that… I am horrible with words and your beauty is exactly like how Lance described to me and I am so sorry for all the misunderstandings.”

She hugged Keith and thanked him before leaving.

Chapter Text

Veronica had heard stories of the Paladins of Voltron and their alien companions from Commander Holt, the planets they rescued and lives they saved, the incredible mechanisms of the castle of lions, the Lions that form a giant robot and the imminent threat that was looming over their necks by the Zarkon and all who follow his regime. Commander Holt had personally asked her to join his crew to help with handling everything, saying he would trust a McClain over any of the other soldier any day.

The sudden arrival of the Paladins had rocked the base. It was all everyone could talk about for days. For them, the heroes that risked their lives and the reached unimaginable standards and expectations have returned. But to her? That was her brother, his best friend and their friends. They weren’t Random People to her, unreachable heroes.

Veronica stared at her brother. He was exactly the same yet so different; the flirtatious loud Cuban was battle-hardened and serious. She understood this change; she saw it first hand at Garrison these past few years to other soldiers, but to her Lance was… Lance.

She thought about how her brother would race across the backyard in his dirty shorts, smiling with gaped teeth to show her his newest findings from the dirt. Rachel would trail behind him out of breath to tackle her twin to the ground. They were an inseparable duo that would lighten up any family gathering.

Looking at him now… The light that burned so bright in his eyes dimmed tenfold. Exhaustion seeped through him in waves, worry lines etched on his forehead. His eyes wondered every corner when entering any room as if the chair in the corner would attack him. Eye bags almost bruise-like were prominent from a mile away. His hair longer than what she remembers but not taken care of as she would assume from her Lance.

The large window of the Atlas was overlooking the ground underneath. Lance’s shirt didn’t hide the bandages shown underneath from where she stood at the door. She contemplated leaving him to rest but decided against it. The older female walked into the room as silently as possible.

“I know people would be very jealous of where we’ve been.” Lance started, startling her, voice devoid of any emotion. “But I can’t help but think how there is only one planet called Earth in this entire universe with the hills and the mountains and the constellations and the sand beaches… I’ve seen some weird shit, once literally a planet underwater. And yet, it was not Earth.”

“Are you okay, Leandro?” She placed her hand on his, calling him by his Spanish name always seemed to reflect the sentiment. He looked down at their interlocked hands and looked back outside.

“Did you know I died?”

Died? No. How would she know? She didn’t know anything of what her brother personally went through. They didn’t talk about it yet.

“No…”

“Yeah… Well, I died. But obviously that didn’t last.”

The way he said it sent chills down her spine. It was almost like he was disappointed.

“There was this beam of energy heading towards Allura and I pushed her out of the way to protect her.”

Just like how he shielded her at the base. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone but she was terrified during that whole experience. Not at the idea of her injury or death, but at the fact that once the attack almost seemed inevitable Lance had stopped trying to fight. He stilled, and that scared her. The idea that her 19-ish year-old brother would accept his death so easily, as if welcoming it, scared the daylights out of her.

“What happened after that?”

“Apparently I died and Allura brought me back with alien magic.”

Alien magic would’ve sounded cool had it been any other scenario than this. She had her suspicions about the white haired women, but now she could kiss her for bringing her brother back.

She stood from the chair and sat next to her brother on the bed; she lay down and opened her arms awaiting Lance. It was something she did when her brother would wake up from a nightmare when he was younger. He would show up at her room, tearstained cheeks and snotty nose, and just stand there waiting for an invitation to her comfort.

He looked at her wide eyed and something in his eyes broke. He fell down to her and hugged her, pulling her close. He went from silent tears to sobs to full-on wails in a matter of seconds. His body shook with each inhale and exhale. It was like a dam, too full with expectations and disappointments and hurt and experiences that it demolished itself in front of her eyes. She willed herself to not cry, knowing full well what her brother will do once she showed any sign that he made her feel a single negative emotion.

After what felt like hours, and probably was, Lance calmed down enough and his breathing soothed. He fell into deep slumber right in her arms and she vouched to whoever can hear her silent prayers that nothing would ever touch her brother’s soul like this ever again. Nothing was going to make him feel this… unworthy ever again.

Chapter Text

Knowledge or Death.

Krolia always knew she was a mother, but here in space - alone - she was a solider. She was a blade member trying to decrease the damage her own race was inflicting on other living beings. She felt responsibility as a Galran to do good, as little as it may feel; she knew small actions could have a good ripple effect. She had to believe that.

Finding her son in space in the middle of a war was a bittersweet situation to be in. For one, he was here and alive and with her. But on the other hand, he was here. The chances of not surviving this war were much greater than surviving it, especially during the time he spent with the Blade. Their aggressive way was something she was used to but didn’t want inflicted upon her kin.

The pride she felt after knowing her Keith was both the Black and the Red Paladins of Voltron were indescribable. He was doing so much to the universe that it filled her with joyful warmth to know the kind of man he is becoming. And the two years they spent alone, both finding out about each other’s stories and tragedies were a gift she didn’t think she deserved after leaving him on Earth all those years ago, especially knowing about her lover’s death. The years Keith spent in the system hurt her so much that it took months for her son to get her to stop blaming herself. He would constantly tell her that he forgave her the minute he saw the first vision and that he was sorry he couldn’t portray it to her better.

She taught him everything she knew in those two years. From Galran and their mannerisms to her family history to funny moments during her training with Kolivan and Thace. Which he returned by telling her about the Voltron paladins;

Shiro and how he took him in and believed in him when no one did at the time; How he gave him a second chance at having a family, along with his boyfriend Adam, and at getting to try at making a name for himself. He told her about his Garrison days with Shiro and his studies and about how his dreams to be a firefighter transformed to piloting. He told her about the irony of him being initially the paladin of the flaming lion when he lost his father to a fire all those years ago.

Pidge with her incomparable intelligence, the resident tech genius and their little tiny gremlin. She was to never be reckoned with and he would gladly lay down his life to make sure she is safe and healthy and happy. He never knew what it was like to have a sister but if what he feels for Katie isn’t that then he might never know. He spoke of her quest to get her father and brother back and how she succeeded even though they were literally in space and they could’ve been anywhere in the universe. She accomplished what they thought was impossible.

Hunk with his big heart, warm smiles and even warmer hugs. How he has a meal for every occasion and emotion. He can simply speak the language of food. Also Altean, Galran, Spanish and Samoan, of course. He spoke of his love in determining what each piece of alien technology actually does, thus the need for alien languages. How he created the HDMI cable for the Earth game Pidge and Lance bought ‘giving their lives meaning’ according to Lance. How he was there for Lance when he was too homesick to speak English and spoke exclusively Spanish, which resulted in Keith begging Hunk to teach him… and he did. In a little more than two months, he was completely fluent.

His mother admired that and suggested he teach her the language, which he ended up doing and was surprised to find out she already knew some words.

“Your father and I lived in Texas, Keith.” She told him one day. “It has one of the largest Spanish speaking populations. Your father was fluent and he taught me some words when we got bored and Galrans has incredibly good memory… so it makes sense I remember some of those words.”

That came off as a shock and it lead to him asking so many questions that she happily answered with a smile at his excitement.

“I thought there were five lions.”

“There are.”

“Then who’s the fifth Paladin?”

“Lance.”

And something changed in the way he spoke of him. His eyes held a light she didn’t catch when he told her about the previous three paladins, maybe she saw a flicker of it when he talked about Shiro but it wasn’t this bright. He stuttered at the beginning, clearly frustrated, but his voice got stronger the longer he went on about the Blue Paladin.

He spoke of his jumping personality when he talks about piloting and Cuba, the two things he loved more than life itself. His entire change of demeanour when alien children approach him to thank him for saving their life. When he bugs Pidge to go eat or sleep, or gets asked by Hunk to help him in project or a recipe. Or – and no one knows about this – when he stares at the stars in the observatory tower whenever Keith stumbled upon him alone.

He spoke of his jokes and light-heartedness that seemed to hide internal pain. The constant flirtatious remarks that never quite sounded real. The shaky hands that no one noticed whenever someone mentioned Earth or anything remotely related to it. How after some time, his smile stopped reaching his the longer they stayed in space. About the conversation they had after they found Shiro the second time. His entire presence seemed to motivate everyone to do better, but he never saw that.

But sadly, he could never truly talk to Lance about any of it. he tried so hard to have a serious conversation but the Cuban seemed to always divert the attention, which was out of character for the attention seeking male.

Krolia understood.

She saw her lover, Keith’s father, way too much in Keith. He was more compassionate than he could handle and it gave him both great and burden worthy qualities. They sought to what the others needed and helped them while totally neglecting themselves. Krolia saw that Keith noticed so much of his team, every detail good or bad, but totally forgot to see himself. He failed to see what he was great at and chose to beat himself down instead of accepting a simple compliment about his talents and truly believing he was… good.

The Galran knew that Lance was still a mystery to Keith, no matter how much her son thinks he knew about him. No one diverted attention and acted silly without a good reason behind it. It was the first step of having a mask: Make sure it never cracks. But she also knew that with the a little guidance, Keith could learn to love him with his entire being. He will make a few mistakes, and they will be needed in order to truly gain knowledge and experience, but none will be too fateful.

The minute they return to the castle, Keith will make a good decision. She believed in him that much.