Archive of Our Own

Loreley

When Shiro announces the Castle will make a stop on another planet on their way to the next potential member for the Voltron coalition several pairs of eyebrows get raised in confusion. With the ship’s ability to cover far distances in a matter of minutes they usually don’t need to rest somewhere along the way, especially not overnight.

“Loreley is a beautiful planet,” Coran explains to his friends and almost falls over himself with excitement. “Altea helped to protect the planet from intruders because Loreley’s inhabitants had a rough time protecting themselves despite being probably the most intelligent race I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter. King Alfor had a great collaboration with them. I’ve been there before and I’d love to renew our old friendship by checking up on the planet’s defense mechanism we installed a long time ago.” 

Since Hunk and Pidge need to change some lenses of the teleduv before their next wormhole jump, there’s still some spare time to bridge before their arrival on Loreley. Shiro and Coran are in the middle of some secret discussion no one is allowed to listen to, Allura and Keith happily occupy the training deck so Lance decides to retreat into his room for a while.

He doesn’t want to take a nap but lying on his bed is always his backup plan in case of sudden boredom. After an hour of mindlessly playing weird Altean mini-games on his tablet,  he opens the Castle’s search engine and enters the planet’s name and location.

Loreley, Rhine-quadrant.

Maybe a check up on the planet they are about to visit will shed some light into the reason for their upcoming stop. Shiro seems to be interested in it and everything Shiro’s interested in, Lance needs to know. It’s physics, basically, like magnetism, with him and Shiro being magnets attracting each other and Lance being a very stubborn magnet who’s only too eager to get back to his counterpart. Before he’s able to hit the ‘I feel lucky’ button beneath the search bar, there’s a knock on his door.

“Come in,” he calls and a second later, speaking of the handsome devil, Shiro walks in, wearing his training outfit - a gray shirt and black sweatpants. A comfortable warmth spreads inside his body until it reaches his cheeks and makes him smile. For a moment, he allows himself to indulge in the dream of Shiro sneaking next to him in bed as if it’s the most natural thing.

In reality though, they’re still some steps away from something like that to happen. “Can we take it slow?” Shiro had asked him during their first date, nervously peeling off the label of the alien beverage in the bar they’d settled in after roaming a flea market. It had something unsettling to see Shiro’s unfiltered vulnerability but at the same time, Lance had been beyond grateful for him being honest and opening up to him. He’d taken his hand, assuring him that Shiro was the one to set the pace.

He soon learned that Shiro wasn’t one for PDA or even addressing their developing relationship in front of the others so until now, getting emotionally and physically closer to each other is almost exclusively reserved for their dates.

Not because Shiro's ashamed, God forbid, no, everyone knows that something’s going on between him and Lance and they’re kind enough not to tease them about it. After all that happened to Shiro, breaking up his with ex-boyfriend, getting captured by the Galra, fighting in intergalactic battles, he needs more time to allow himself to feel that special kind of happiness again - the one that comes with being close to someone - and Lance won't hesitate to give him all the time he needed… which doesn’t change the fact that Lance yearns for making their relationship official. Until now, their dates were limited to places outside the Castle and they’ve only kissed a couple of times at the end of said dates. Lance is sure that the rest of their team has labeled their relationship as a very casual one but little does he know how intense Shiro’s eyes glow with affection whenever he's around, visible for everyone who takes a closer look. 

“Hey Lance,” Shiro says and closes the door behind him. A hint of uncertainty in his voice makes Lance sit up. The last time he’s seen Shiro that tense around him was the moment he’d asked him out on their very first date. For a splinter of a second, Lance expects the worst - that he might have decided they aren’t compatible or anything - but then Shiro bites his lip and sits down next to him, his thigh brushing gingerly against Lance’s.

“About our stop-over--” Shiro’s eyes find the tablet lying on the nightstand, the search request for Loreley still opened. “Oh.” He points at it. “Did you already read anything about it?”

Lance shakes his head. “I was about to.”

“Hmm,” Shiro hums and scratches the back of his neck. “Can you do me a favor?”

Lance flutters his eyes in the most innocent way. “Anything for you, Takashi.”

Shiro chuckles and gives him a nudge to stop flirting. He doesn’t dislike it, oh no, by now Lance is perfectly aware of how well Shiro melts under his kind words and easy flirtations, even returns them sometimes so smoothly that Lance is being left speechless. But right now, Shiro is nervous about something, so Lance puts on a more serious face. “Okay,” Shiro continues, “then please don’t read anything about our destination.”

“Umm, okay… but why?”

“Because... “ Shiro’s voice trails off but the intonation of the word implies something else, something that makes Lance’s heart flutter in sweet anticipation, even more when Shiro’s fingers reach out for him and gently take his hand. “Because I... wanted to ask you out on another date.”

“Another date, huh?” Lance smirks self-assuredly even though his pulse is probably higher than during a training session with Keith. “And you want to surprise me?”

“Well, I wanted to try ,” Shiro confesses meekly. “But I can’t if you look up where I’m taking you. I mean if you want to go out with me.”

“Of course I want to,” Lance laughs and feels Shiro’s arm around his back, pulling him into a light hug. “All the dates, Shiro, all the dates.” He gives him a questioning look, still not quite content with his answer. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

“No,” Shiro says but the sparkle in his eyes reveals his lie so Lance puts on a pouty face to make him elaborate on it. “Alright, first of all, there’s a very important mission and both Coran and I agree that you’re the best one to do it.”

Lance scoffs.

“Me? Right…”

“Stop putting yourself done, Lance. I’m serious.“ He smiles. “And I’ve always wanted to go on another solo mission with you. I think you might like this one. Trust me.”

“Okay, fine, I trust you,” Lance says but squints an eye anyway, “a mission… and then we...?”

“Talk,” Shiro says simply. “About us.”

“Okay, now you’re scaring me,” Lance admits and nibbles on his lower lip. “Good talk or bad talk?”

Shiro leans forward until his nose bumps against Lance’s and the slight touch brushes away his doubt within a second.

“Good talk,” Shiro whispers.

“Very good talk?” Lance replies, his lips ghosting over Shiro’s.

“I hope so.”

Shiro’s lips linger for a moment longer and Lance is tempted to go in for a real kiss, breaking their habit to only kiss at the end of a date, but then Shiro leans back.

“Tonight. 7 pm.”

“We can talk now?” Lance suggests although he knows whatever Shiro wants to talk about deserves more attention, especially with him having planned a date around it. The Black Paladin fondly shakes his head and plants a kiss on Lance’s cheek before he leaves the room.

Lance flops back on his bed with the biggest grin on his face.

Good talk, a voice in his head repeats happily. Good talk only knows one topic: their next step in their relationship. Making it official. Becoming boyfriends. Telling the others. A wave of excitement rushes through his body as he stares at the ceiling, hands folded behind the head, his mind getting lost in some daydreams.

He's been head over heels for Shiro for a while now. His feelings started out as a foolish crush during his time at the Garrison and steadily grew into something stronger the more time they spent together in space. And one day, he decided to show Shiro how he felt about him: by giving him compliments, opening up about his own insecurities, having a friendly ear whenever Shiro needed to talk about something… little gifts even, like a soft pillow after Shiro had told him about his regular night terrors. (He might have stitched a blue heart on it, sue him, but this action was the trigger for Shiro to ask him out so Lance definitely didn't regret this very obvious action.)

Every date since then had been special and Lance can't wait to see what this evening is about to bring.

~~

It doesn't take long until the teludav is fixed and they're off to a part of the mapped universe called Rhine-quadrant. Thankfully, Shiro has shown some mercy and has given Lance some hints at the planet’s weather condition, otherwise, Lance would have connected the planet’s darkness to coldness. Apparently, night time is the planet’s default and only every other week the light of a distant star reaches the surface and doesn’t get blocked by other planets in the solar system.

When Lance arrives at the Castle’s exit door, Shiro’s already waiting for him. They both wear a lighter variant of their Paladin armor, a two-piece-uniform the ship has provided them with for occasions that require official Voltron business without expecting any fights. On some planets where a peace treaty is intact, wearing heavy armor can be insulting and Coran has assured them they wouldn’t need it here anyway.

“Hey Lance,” Shiro greets him and throws a backpack onto his shoulder. Hunk and Keith can't hide their grins and Lance has the strange feeling that they might know more about this mission than him. The planet might be peaceful but 10.000 years have passed since the last Altean has set foot on this planet so their two fellow Paladins escort them down.

“Go on your mission,” Keith says with a smirk when they’ve reached the end of the ramp and gives Shiro a heavy clap on his back that almost makes the Black Paladin stumble. Hunk flashes Lance an optimistic smile with a cringe-worthy thumbs-up. Sure, they are rooting for them almost as much as Lance does but geez, they’re adults and not teenagers on their way to prom - although according to the fluttering feeling in Lance’s stomach there isn’t much of a difference. As soon as their friends have disappeared inside the Castle, Lance and Shiro are alone, waiting side by side until the Castle’s huge door is closed and the outdoor-lights are being turned off again.

“Shall we?” Shiro asks and Lance nods, a pleasant thrill of anticipation running through his body.

The world outside the space ship is wrapped in darkness and Shiro turns on a flashlight as they make their way through the flat desert-like area they have landed on.

“We only need the light for our walk into the forest,” he explains mysteriously, visibly enjoying Lance cluelessness about his plans. Lance tucks his arm into Shiro’s. He doesn’t know what to expect but Shiro’s good mood fuels his expectations. Usually, Shiro isn’t one for secrets of that kind so whatever this evening will bring, it has to be something good. Lance’s trust to him runs deep and he allows himself to believe that tonight's date will be a very memorable one.

The planet’s surface is soft, almost like a thick carpet covered with tiny grass-like plants. The two moons up in the sky don’t provide much light; they’re too small and the reflected light from a faraway star gives them a red-shaded color that resembles a lunar eclipse. A warm breeze plays with Lance’s hair and he smiles: It reminds him of mild summer nights at home. He takes deep breaths and inhales the air filled with scents both familiar and foreign to his nose.

“That’s lavender,” Shiro says quietly as if he’s read Lance’s thoughts. “At least it smells like it. And that fragrance that’s similar to… hmmm…”

“The air after a summer storm with a hint of mint?”

“Yes,” Shiro laughs at the precise description. “That's from the rivers, lakes, and seas. Almost 90% of the planet’s surface is covered with water.”

“The water smells that strong?”

“Not the water.” Shiro gives him a knowing wink. “You’ll see.”

When they reach the forest, he turns off the flashlight and puts it away in his backpack and finally, Lance understands why.

The forest in front of him is illuminated. At first, Lance mistakes the leaves of the trees and blossoms of the flowers for the light source but then Shiro points into another direction.

A stream, not even three inches wide, runs through the undergrowth and glistens in a turquoise color that reminds him of the Castle’s lights, only some shades darker. It sheds light wherever it flows and soon Lance notices other streams of the same size carving through the forest like veins through a human body. He turns his head to look at Shiro. The soft light illuminates his face, and his eyes not only reflect the sparkling light but also some nervous anticipation.

“I hope you’re gonna like,” Shiro says quietly.

“I like it already,” Lance replies and their eyes meet. Once again the realization of Shiro going on dates with him hits him hard and he’s overwhelmed by the happiness he feels that Shiro of all people wants to spend time with him, even plans mysterious dates on foreign planets for him. It’s a childish feeling of Oh My God, He Likes Me Back and Lance bathes in it. The last few dates have been amazing, fun, and ended in messy kissing sessions on their way back to the Castle, leaving them breathless and hungry for more... and Lance can't wait to repeat it. Shiro hums with content and pulls the Blue Paladin closer against his side.

“We’re almost there,” he says.

Silently, they follow the stream that gets wider and wider until it becomes a little river. Then Lance hears it - the strange noises - and freezes, his combat-instincts activated in the blink of an eye. His hand reaches for his bayard only to remember that they left their weapons in the Castle.

“What--”

“Shht,” Shiro hushes him. “Listen.” Lance relaxes under the touch of his calm hand on his shoulder and does just that: listen.

A deep mumbling sounds through the forest, sometimes interrupted by high-pitched squeaks that almost remind him of cats’ meows, their volume and intonation changing like it has some deeper meaning he isn’t able to grasp.

Lance’s breath hitches and he tightens his grip around Shiro’s arm as they continue their walk.

“Are they singing? Whatever they are?”

Shiro smiles instead answering his questions. “Careful now,” he says. “Coran said we should approach slowly. They haven’t seen strangers in a very long time.”

The small river ends in a big lake in the middle of a clearing. A deep body of water lies in front of them, without a beach or shallow water but bordered with different-sized stones.

“Oh wow.” Lance steps forward to get a feeling for the depth when suddenly, a dorsal fin appears in the water, surrounded by a more intense light than the water itself holds. It disappears a second later, leaving the Paladin stunned. “Shiro, are those--”

Another fin appears, breaking through the water’s surface, swimming slower through the lake as the one before, and Lance gets a glimpse at the creature it belongs to. A long body, flukes--

“Merfolk,” Shiro reveals and smiles at Lance’s surprised face. “I thought you might like to see them.”

Merfolk. It’s hard for Lance to make out any details from the far distance. They appear to be similar to the Mer aliens Lance has seen on the Frozen Planet but the creature had disappeared too quickly for a more thorough look.

“Shiro,” he says with much emphasis, trying to make him aware what this means to him. “Do you even know how much I love mermaids?”

“I had a feeling,” Shiro says nonchalantly. “You might have mentioned it once or twice.”

With a mischievous look, he winks at a dumbfounded Lance.

“Are you making fun of me?”

Shiro whirls him around until his arms are wrapped around Lance’s waist, pulling him closer.

“I would never,” he whispers softly and tucks a loose hair strain behind Lance’s ear.

Lance tsks as he folded his hands behind Shiro’s neck, his eyes squinted to fake being offended but he doesn’t manage to keep it up very long.

“Accepted,” he says quietly, a smile playing on his lips. “So you brought me on a mermaid date, huh?”

“Technically, it’s part of our mission,” Shiro explains and earns a stick-out tongue from Lance. “And merfolk is the name of the species. Singular it’s a merfolkin.”

“What’s the difference to other Mer people?”

Shiro leads them to a nearby stone that’s big enough to sit on before he continues. The calming sounds of the merfolk fill out the background, accompanied by the gurgling of the rivers nearby and the occasional splash in the glimmering lake in front of them. The soft shining moons and stars cover the sky above them and the soothing smell in the air hugs them like warm blankets. Although he knows this is part of their mission, Lance can’t shake the thought of this being the most romantic date he’s ever been on.

“They, meaning old Altean scripts and Coran, say those are the original ones,” Shiro continues. “The very first species of merpeople in the entire universe, tens of thousands of years old, if not even older.” Lance’s eyes grow big. “Over time, they evolved just like any other creature would have but not forced by outside factors, like predators or changed natural conditions, but because they want to.”

“You mean, evolution by sheer will?”

Shiro nods.

“They even found a way to have descendants in other galaxies even though they never left this planet. No one knows how but it’s scientifically proven that they did it somehow.” He takes a deep breath. “Lance, those are probably the most fascinating, intelligent and beautiful beings in the entire universe.” Gently, he cups Lance’s face, his thumb tracing a line along his jaw. “And all I could think about was that they need to meet you .”

Lance wraps his fingers around Shiro’s wrist and leans into the touch of his hand.

“Shiro…” he whispers, almost accusingly of the implication his words carry but his self-doubt disappears when Shiro leans forward and softly presses a kiss on his lips.

That’s new.

Lance’s heart skips several beats before his head’s caught up and he returns the kiss.

“Kissing during a mission,” Lance murmurs against his lips, “that’s wild. Or has our date already begun?”

“Not officially, no,” Shiro whispers and goes in for another light kiss. “Is that a problem?”

Lance grins, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering happily. “Are you asking me if it’s okay if you kiss me not only during our dates but also any other time?”

Shiro leans slightly back, ready to answer but then changes his mind.

“Let’s talk about that later, we still need to complete our mission,” he says with determination but Lance doesn’t fail to see the impatience in his eyes which amuses him deeply. Patience yields focus, his ass.

“Fine,” Lance sighs dramatically and lets himself being pulled up by Shiro. “But if I fail the mission then you’re the one to blame for distracting me with your heated battle kisses.”

Shiro laughs and takes his hand. “Alright, I’ll take the blame.”

For a moment, they observe the lake in silence, mostly listening to the strange singing sounds of all kinds that mesmerize both of them.

Squeaking, clicking, soft cries, purring, sometimes calls like a seagull, sometimes deep grunts like whales. It’s like a song of different merfolkin communicating with each other but also talking in unison as an entire species, singing and expressing themselves in harmony with their home planet.

Sometimes a merfolkin breaks through the surface and eyes them from a safe distance, their fin lighting up the dark lake around them until they plunge back into the depth. The light appears to be brightest in the middle of the lake, deep down beneath the surface.

“Why are they glowing?” Lance asks and Shiro checks his tablet for some answers.

“It says they emit some chemicals through their skin, mostly the dorsal fin, to illuminate the water and the planet as best as they can. Probably because their nights are so long and some plants need at least a faint light to grow. The light even contains vitamins or other chemicals the environment needs. Apparently, not even the Alteans figured out the exact reason so that’s their best guess.”

“They are beautiful. I wish I’d understand what they’re singing about.”

Shiro gives him a mischievous look.

“Let’s find out. This way.”

They walk around the lake until they reach something that looks like a platform. It’s a smooth and large plate of stone next to the lake for visitors to stand on, the lake lacking the border stones in this area for better access. “This was built by the Alteans when they tried to talk to the merfolk,” Shiro explains.
“They talked to them?”
“Yes. According to Coran, they managed to find a simple language to communicate in. It took decades to build up a mutual trust though. As we speak, Coran checks on the defense system around the planet in case it needs to be fixed. It looked good though. As smart as they are, this appears to be their only weakness. Here,” he pulls out a smaller and somewhat old looking technical device from his backpack. “It’s a translator that converts our and their language. Pidge updated it but the functionality is the same as 10.000 years ago.”

Lance stares at him for a long minute, not quite sure if his train of thought goes into the right direction. A translator? A mission?

“What do you expect me to do?” he asks warily.

“Remember what I told you about the mission?”

“Um, yeah? Nothing,” Lance deadpans. “You told me nothing.”

“No, I said both Coran and I decided that you’re the best one of us to do it.” With a proud smile, he pushes the device into Lance’s hands. “You’ll be the new ambassador to introduce us.”

Lance gasps. Ambassador? Him? For a super intelligent alien species?

“Oh boy, this sounds like the worst idea ever. Are you-- are you sure?” he stammers nervously. Lance might have attended a ton of diplomatic missions but until now, only Allura and Shiro had done the necessary talking.

“Yeah,” Shiro says and squeezes his hand in a reassuring manner. “Very sure. You can do it. They know Voltron, the former Paladins have been here as well.”

“Okay then.” A deep breath later, Lance takes a few steps towards the lake until he stands close to the edge, some water lapping over the platform.

Eagerly but also carefully he turns on the device which begins to whirr quietly. He flashes Shiro a nervous smile and pushes the button to start the translation function. His mind tries out different introductions, most of them probably over the top and too formally until he remembers Shiro’s words. He’s the best to do it, so he settles for him being himself.

“Hello, my-- my name is Lance McClain from planet Earth and I’m--”

He pauses. His words get translated into something similar to the singing of the merfolkin. Clicks and deep grunts and squeaks echo from the device and get carried across the lake. Several merfolkin turn their heads towards him, listening attentively. Lance swallows. This isn’t just some random alien species, this is something huge and he doesn't want to screw it up. Shiro nudges him to continue. “I’m the Blue Paladin of Voltron,” Lance says, slowly gaining a bit more self-confidence, “I’m sorry to inform you that Altea has been-- destroyed.”

Suddenly, the singing changes and what formerly sounded like a song of curiosity turns into a lament. Lance hurries to continue. “But we’re here to keep up the peace with your people. My team and I, Voltron and two Altean who survived, ensure you that the safety of your planet hasn’t been compromised. The defenses are intact and get upgraded as we speak.“

Another song begins, now louder and filled with excitement. Shiro walks up to him and changes some settings on the device.

“If you push this button it will translate right back. They communicate also through emotions so be prepared. It should be an easy language though.”

Lance presses it against his ear and Shiro leans his head against him to hear the computerized voice. Slowly, words emerge from the translator, clearly coming from different creatures, overlapping each other, at first difficult to understand, then repeating the same words over and over again like a choir.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Shiro takes another look at his own tablet. “It says their language is one of the most difficult languages the Alteans have ever studied. That’s why it’s so hard to understand them. The merfolkin literally have to speak in easy terms because they’re smarter than any other species. Our vocabulary isn’t able to translate everything they say because it goes beyond words in a way we’re not capable to even imagine.”

Lance.

Thank you.

Earth.

Happy.

Calm.

“Why calm?” Lance whispers anxiously, his eyes not looking away from the lake in front of him.

“Probably because you were a little bit nervous,” Shiro laughs quietly. “Relax. They’re a friendly and peaceful species.” Gingerly, he takes Lance’s hand and they keep listening to the translator’s voice until they hear something new.

Loa.

“Loa?” Lance asks Shiro who quickly checks the tablet again.

“That’s how they call their own, um, ambassador.”

Loa.

Gift.

“A gift? Shiro, do we-- do we have a gift for the most intelligent species in the whole freaking universe??”

“Oh! Hang on...umm….Coran didn’t exactly--”

Lance stops him from frantically scrolling through the tablet’s info pages when one merfolkin starts swimming closer to them.

“Shiro, look.”

A few seconds later, it dives up from the water right in front of him at the edge of the deep lake and finally, Lance can take a closer look at the creature. He immediately notices that his first impression had betrayed him because the merfolk look nothing like the Mer alien of the Frozen Planet, oh no.

Lance’s mouth gapes open and he feels Shiro’s likewise astonishment next to him.

The merfolkin’s skin isn’t scaled but smooth and shimmers in a shade between gray and blue, hard to identify with the surrounding light it emits. Their head is almost human-like, or like Plaxum’s head has been, albeit… older and less expressive as if communication via facial movements isn’t important to them. Their burgundy-colored hair appears to be a solid part of their body, crowning their head like the mane of a mighty lion. Green pieces of something that looks like armor are wrapped around parts of their body, mainly covering neck, chest, shoulders, and arms. Engraved in it are markings that make the hieroglyphs of Egypt look young. The fin on their back has the same green color and from the close distance, Lance is able to identify it as the light source. To his surprise, the merfolkin has two arms that rest next to their body but in such a leisurely way that he’s sure they rarely get used above the water. Yellow eyes stare at him, the smell of a summer storm strong in the air.

“Wow, that armor is amazing,” Lance blurts out, immediately regretting his words. The creature tilts their head, then nods at the translator in his hand. Lance repeats his words reluctantly and waits for an answer.

The stern and expressionless face of the merfolkin changes, apparently picking up that the species in front of them uses facial expressions and body language as a form of communication. They look amused as they answer with clicking sounds the translator picks up and turns into words.

Hard work.

Warrior.

“Who do you fight against?”

This time, the translation takes a very long time.

Extinction.

Lance studies the merfolkin’s eyes. An aura of oldness surrounds them that he’s never felt that strong before. He wonders how Loa must feel about them, those very young humans so far away from their home planet. He shakes off the wondrous thoughts and points at Shiro.

“That’s Takashi Shirogane, or Shiro, he’s the Black Paladin and leader of Voltron.”

Lance.

Shiro.

Bond.

Lance and Shiro exchange a surprised glance but the merfolkin continues before they can let sink in the possible meaning of it.

Loa.

Gift.

“We don’t understand--”

“I think I know,” Lance says and scoots closer to the edge. “Or at least I feel it. It’s weird.”

The hidden merfolk under the water and in the back of the lake starts to sing another song. Everyone except Loa joins in. Slowly, the merfolkin withdraws their hand from beneath the water - an act that seems to be very physically demanding - until it lies on the edge of the platform.

Lance shoots a look at Shiro who nods at him in reassurance.

Equally slowly, Lance lies his hand on Loa’s. He gasps at the touch. The skin is smooth, just like a dolphin’s skin, but he feels things he cannot comprehend, except something that develops into a feeling of deep trust.

Suddenly, the glowing of their fin intensifies and Loa communicates with him again.

Lance.

Loa.

Friend.

Earth.

Loreley.

Friend.

“Yeah, we’re friends,” Lance agrees. A massive amount of happiness builds up in his body which he has to release with a chuckle, an answer to a feeling the merfolkin had somehow shared with him through this gesture. "Best gift ever." The light fades away until it has the same brightness as before and he carefully withdraws his hand. Loa smashes their tail fin at the water’s surface that promptly gets translated into Goodbye and disappears in the deep lake, causing water drops to rain down on Shiro and Lance.

Speechless after this intense encounter, the two Paladins put some distance between the lake and them and take a seat on a bench-carved stone close to the forest. Shiro opens his backpack to reveal what else he’s brought with them: a cozy blanket he throws over their shoulders and a can of hot tea he shares with Lance.

“That was… something,” Lance begins the conversation after a brief while. His eyes roam the surface of the lake, still observing the distant merfolkin that appear from time to time, singing their songs. “I was Voltron’s ambassador for the original merfolk," he tries to state neutrally in an attempt to accept this meeting as something real that just happened. "This is-- incredible.”

“Not only Voltron’s but also Altea’s and Earth’s.” Lance shakes his head in disbelief at Shiro's words. “You remember when I said those were the original merpeople in probably the entire universe?” Shiro asks. “In the Castle’s database, there are catalogs of every species that can get traced back to the merfolk.” He turns around to Lance. “Even back to Earth.”

“Hang on. Earth has merfolkin?”

“No, but distant relatives. Dolphins.”

“No way.” Lance's eyes go wide. “I swam with dolphins! Heck, I once worked at a dolphin rescue center during summer vacations.”

Shiro smiles.

“See? I knew you were the best Paladin for this mission.”

They sit in silence for some minutes, sipping their tea, and Lance enjoys the touch of Shiro’s arm on his lower back. Slowly, the rush and emotional high of meeting the merfolk decreases and gets replaced by another kind of excitement. He steals some glances from Shiro who appears to be lost in thoughts, still staring at the lake. When he cannot wait any longer, Lance presses his body closer to him and rubs his head against Shiro’s shoulder like a needy kitten.

“Shiroooo….” Lance pouts.

“Hm?”

“I thought this was a date.”

“A mission and a date,” Shiro grins. “But now that we got the job out of the way... the date part begins.”

“Gotta be honest with you here,” Lance says and wiggles his eyebrows. “I already had high expectations for tonight and meeting with the merfolk kinda excelled them. I don’t know how you could possibly top that.”

“Well, then consider it part of the date.”

“Oh, you wish,” Lance laughs. “Should I turn the translator back on, see what our friends here have to say about you using them to woo me and sweep me off my feet?”

A light blush appears on Shiro's face when he answers.

“They did say something about us, didn’t they?” Lance falls quiet. Something about a bond. He didn’t forget, how could he? "I was thinking about us."

Lance’s eyes flicker with amusement. “I sure hope you were,” he says and raises his chin teasingly. Shiro chuckles and takes Lance's hand.

“This is our fifth date--”

“Sixth but carry on.”

“Sixth?” Shiro frowns.

“Teta Nira?”

“But we were there as a group?”

“We had ice cream and then split up to roam the space mall? You… took my hand for the very first time. That totally counts as a date. Don’t tell me you forgot!”

Shiro grins. “We hid from Keith and Hunk in a store for Arusian lingerie, trust me, I tried to forget it but the image is burned into my eyes forever.” They burst out into laughter which somehow prompts some merfolkin to join in with happy dolphin-like sounds. “Oh God, Lance, please tell me you turned off the translator!”

(He did.) 

They take their time to calm down until the tension between them becomes slightly awkward.

“Okay, you, um," Lance stammers and scratches the back of his head, “you wanted to say something and I interrupted you, I’m sorry.”

Shiro nods quickly. “Right. This our sixth date,” (Lande nods approvingly), “and I enjoyed every single one with you. So… I thought about our, um, future. My position in Voltron is-- important. So is yours. But we’re both responsible. We’ve been in enough battles and got our priorities straight.”

Lance laughs.

“Not sure about the straight part.”

Shiro grunts and runs his fingers through Lance’s hair, giving it a gentle tug. Lance bites his lip. He enjoys Shiro being flustered way too much.

“What I mean, Lance, is that we won’t endanger our missions by having a… bond - like Loa called it. I thought about us a lot and spending time with you makes me…" he looks Lance deep into his eyes, " you make me very happy. And I don't know when I've ever been that happy before, I really can't remember. Every minute I spend with you proves how much you mean to me. I’m… I'm about to fall in love with you and… “ Shiro pauses. “I’m not far away from it to happen."

Lance’s mouth is dry. His heartbeat drums loudly in his ears and for a moment he forgets to breathe. He hadn’t expected a talk about love at this point, not even today,  and he isn’t prepared but then again, yes, of course, he is prepared, that’s all he can think about for a long time, Shiro, Shiro and his love for him. But before he can put his feelings into words, Shiro takes both his hands in his and intertwines their fingers.

“In fact,” he continues calmly and for a moment, time stands still. “In fact, it already happened.”

A silence fills the space between them. Lance barely hears the distant calls of the merfolk. He stares at Shiro with wide eyes, unable to get out the simplest word, and the Back Paladin gets more nervous with every passing second.

“Okay, Lance, I really can’t deal with you being quiet, especially not right now. Can you-- please say something?”

Whispered words hush over Lance’s lips.

“What?” Shiro asks and leans closer, his brows furrowed. Lance swallows hard as he tries to get a grip of himself.

“I said, I’m in love with you.”

Shiro’s mouth gapes open.

“You-- you’re--”

“Very much in love with you.” Lance breaks out into a wide smile that Shiro reciprocates with just as much intensity. “You can’t even imagine how long I wanted to say that out loud.” Days, weeks, months. In one way or another, he’s been in love with him for a long time.

Shiro stares at him in awe. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Lance chants enthusiastically. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Instead of an answer, or maybe as an answer, Shiro leans forward and kisses him. It’s a firm kiss, a kiss full of promises and love and Lance wraps his arms around his neck to pull him even closer.

“I’m sorry,” he says grins into the kiss, “is that a yes or--”

Soft lips shut him up again.

“Yes,” Shiro mumbles a moment later.

“Sorry, couldn’t hear you, what?”

Another kiss in the corner of his mouth.

“Yes.”

Lance gently bites Shiro’s lip.

“Umm, what was the question again?”

Shiro huffs, more amused than annoyed, and pulls him into a hug, his nose nestling against Lance’s neck and ear.

“I want to be with you, Lance.”

“I’d like that, Shiro, I’d like that a lot.” He pauses for a moment. “We’re gonna tell the others?”

“Yes.”

“And I have all the boyfriend privileges? Meaning I can kiss you whenever I want to?”

“Well, unless we’re on a mission or--”

Lance quickly presses his lips against Shiro’s, making him chuckle as he accepts this forceful act of getting shut up. They spend another hour at the lake, listening to the merfolkin who quickly pick up on their happiness and fill the surrounding area with matching song-like noises Lance doesn’t want to forget ever.

“Can I admit something?” he asks, his eyes glancing up at his boyfriend.

“Sure.”

“I was hoping you were gonna ask me today. Is that bad?”

“No, quite the opposite,” Shiro grins and presses a kiss on Lance's forehead. “I would’ve made a very bad job at showing you how much you mean to me if you hadn’t picked up on it.”

“Can’t argue with that.” 

~~

Hand in hand they enter the Castle and head straight for the lounge where the others are spending the lazy evening.

“How was your mission?” Pidge asks and briefly looks up from their laptop.

Lance grins. “Successful,” he says proudly and bounces back and forth on his heels, not letting go of Shiro’s hand, excited about the obvious question he expects next.

“Alright,” Pidge says briskly.

Everyone turns back to doing what they were doing before, leaving Shiro and Lance stunned into silence at the door frame. Allura and Keith watch an Altean movie, their eyes fixed on the big screen on the wall, Pidge shows Coran something on their laptop and Hunk has buried his nose into a book.

Lance and Shiro exchange a nervous glance, unsure of what to do. After a few awful seconds of uncomfortable silence, Allura’s the first to crack.

“I can’t do this,” she whispers with tears of laughter in her eyes and Keith mutes the movie.

“Oh, still there?” He asks and folds his arms across his chest. “Is there something you wanna say? Some mission details, maybe? Should Coran write it down into the ship’s log?”

Curious eyes stare at them, curious but full of knowledge and teasing, a smile lingering on each and every face around them. Shiro lowers his gaze and tightens the grip on Lance’s hand.

“Lance and I,” he begins,  “um, we are-- um--”

“Boyfriends!” Lance finishes loudly and holds up their joined hands. “We’re boyfriends.” He turns around and makes an apologetic grimace for bursting out the news but Shiro doesn’t seem to mind when he drowns Lance with affection in his eyes.

“Yes, we are,” Shiro exhales with relief.

“Finally!” Hunk exclaims, the book lying forgotten next to him. Coran throws his arm around Pidge’s shoulder and Allura squeaks happily. “Heard you went on a mermaid date!”

“Merfolk!” Lance corrects him excitedly, his eyes sparkling. “It was amazing!”

“Alright,” Hunk clasps his hands together, “you  need to tell us all about it but not before you all helped me prepare the dinner table.”

“You cooked?”

Pidge giggles. “He cooked a fancy getting-together-dinner for you two.”

“Wait,” Shiro stops him, visibly confused. “How did you know I’d ask Lance today?”

“Shiro, my dude,” Hunk says and pats his shoulder, “we made a three billion miles detour for you and Lance to go on a date.” He points over his shoulder at Coran and Keith. “We know you’re the leader and all but they said they would throw you out of an airlock if the reason was anything less than a very special occasion.”

Keith gives Shiro a shit-eating grin and Lance bursts into a laughing fit.

~~

As promised, Hunk has prepared a magnificent dinner and everyone is torn between wolfing down the delicious food and treasuring every single bite. The mood around the table is exuberant. To celebrate something that isn’t related to their tasks of defending the universe is a welcome change and reminds everyone of the reasons why their fight is important, but also made them realize that their own selves still matter. Lance finally has the chance to fill in the team about his merfolk adventure and bathes in the praising looks he receives, mostly from Shiro. No one asks any intruding questions to make them uncomfortable but Lance can’t wait to gush about their date to Hunk later this evening.

Or maybe tomorrow, depending on how and where he would spend the night.

After dinner is finished, everyone helps clean up the table. Lance is about to carry the last plates into the kitchen when a voice from the other side of the room calls out for him.

“Lance, hey.” Keith waves him towards him, his eyes scanning the rest of the room to make sure they’re alone. “I need to talk to you.” He looks tense and a feeling of dread spreads in Lance's stomach as he cautiously walks up to him.

“Yeah?”

“If you hurt him… “ Keith whispers gravely with the most vicious eyes, a firm grip on his shoulder that gets stronger with every passing second, “then I’m gonna--”

“I know, I know,” Lance answers quietly, mimicking his exaggerated severity, “you’ll kill me. Bury me somewhere I cannot be found.”

They manage to keep the tension up for a few more seconds, then Keith breaks out into a wide smile and loosens the grip on Lance.

“I always wanted to say that,” he admits.

“I always wanted someone to say that to me,” Lance replies and they both laugh, bumping their shoulders together.

“It’s kinda weird but what can I say, I’m glad it’s you.”

“Thanks, man.”

“What are you talking about?” Shiro sneaks up to them, slightly confused about their shared laughter.

“Keith said he’ll kill you in case you hurt me,” Lance explains without batting an eyelash.

“What??”

“Yeah, be nice Takashi,” Keith chuckles and pats his back before he leaves them alone.

“What was that about?” Shiro asks quietly.

“Well, you heard him,” Lance smirks and throws his hands around his boyfriend’s neck. “Be nice to me.”

“Let me try.” Shiro leans forward until their lips touch and he gently kisses Lance. They’re faintly aware of the whooping sounds of their friends from the other side of the room for finally having shared their first kiss in public but even when they pull away again, they can’t stop looking at each other.

“That nice enough?” Shiro mumbles.

“Yeah. Lance happy,” he says and clicks his tongue to imitate the merfolk's sounds.

Shiro pulls him closer into a hug, one arm around his waist and one hand brushing some hair strains away. He puts his lips close to Lance's ear as he whispers his reply.

“Shiro happy, too.”