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Hawks shrugs the collar of his jacket up, hiding his surveying eyes in the motion. One exit. Another behind the bar. Maybe 30 patrons. More than a few Galra; not to mention some other unsavory looking individuals. Sure, Hawks could take them, but really that was more trouble than it was worth.
What they were expecting to find on this dump of a planet, he didn’t know. Hawks would be lucky to get out of here with his wallet in tact. He moves quickly, keeping his head low. More than a few eyes watch him as he passes, their steely glares sending chills up Hawks’ spine.
There wasn’t an honest soul in this damn bar, he was sure of it. Not one that could be a paladin of Voltron. Not one that could replace Tsunagu.
“Eyes up, birdie.”
Hawks’ eyes snap up and they meet with the most beautiful blue this desolate planet had to offer.
Dark hair, dark clothes, but his eyes were the brightest blue. They were warm, like a searing flame, yet somehow still ice cold. Their brightness masked an underlaying darkness. He had seen things, things that burned away his innocence and left the enigma that stood before Hawks. His face was striking. The skin around his jaw, neck, and under his eyes was burnt heavily, purple scars left in its place. Those same scars peeked from the sleeve of his jacket. Despite the scarring, he was undeniably handsome. So, so handsome. And he was human. Now that was interesting. Of all the places he’d been and people he’d seen, Hawks only knew a handful of humans.
“I wouldn’t space out if I were you,” the man grinned. “You never know who you might meet in these parts.”
Hawks considered his options. Most of the bar’s patrons were in pairs or groups. The few that were left alone ranged in various levels of murderous. If anyone was going to be the new blue paladin, his best bet was with this stranger. Besides, Hawks was curious about him. So he takes the bar seat next to him.
“What’s a human doing in this sector of the galaxy? Aren’t you a little far from Earth?”
The man takes a sip from his drink, eyeing him over the glass’s rim. “And how do you know so much about humans?”
Shit. Hawks throws his hands up, playing it off with a laugh. “I’m a traveler. Seen lots of places, lots of people.”
Hawks gestures to the bartender, a sort of shadowy, wispy male of an unknown alien species. He orders himself a drink; nothing too strong though. He wanted to be in his full state of mind in the event of a quick escape.
The man eyes him with the barest hint of mirth. “Looks like we both have something to hide.” He settles back into his seat, staring up at the ceiling with a bored look. “Let’s just say….I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. One minute I was on earth, and next thing I knew I was on a Galra ship on the other side of the galaxy. I managed to escape but,” he tapped at his jaw, “well, not all of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t,” The man waves him off. “Look around. You won’t find a single person here who hasn’t lost someone or something to the Galra.” That much was evident at a glance. The patrons were scarred and rugged. Limbs were missing in some. The air reeked of alcohol and rippled with loss, pain, and revenge.
Hawks takes a sip from his drink. A touch of warmth fills his belly as the liquid burns down. “So,” the stranger starts. “What’s your story?”
“I’m looking for someone,” Hawks says plainly. Just ‘someone’ seemed too plain though. How does one replace a teammate, though? How does one replace a friend? Hawks thought of Tsunagu lying incapacitated in the infirmary, pale and unconscious. His chances for recovery were slim. Even if he did wake up, there was no telling if he’d be able to pilot his lion again. They needed a new paladin. Hawks usually wasn’t one to question his leader’s orders. Enji was right, of course. He knew it. Blue already rejected Hizashi and Toshinori was in no condition to fly anymore. But to just move on like that? It didn’t sit well with Hawks.
Hawks takes another drink.
Oblivious to his musings, the man smirks. He leans in closer, and the blue of his eyes seem to shine even brighter. “Looks like we have that in common.”
Hawks raises an eyebrow. “Oh?” The man inches closer still, something about him drawing Hawks into him. For a moment, he can almost forget the seedy bar. For a moment, there’s just blue. “And who are you looking for?” Hawks asks.
Blue eyes flicker across his face, flitting quickly to his lips then back up. “Hm,” he hums lowly, “why don’t you tell me?”
Hawks blames the flush on his cheeks on the alcohol coursing through his veins.
The man eyes his folded up wings. They shine a brilliant crimson even in the dingy lighting. A flash of something runs across his mind. An image of fingers running softly across his feathers. Hawks was crazy. He had to be. Or there was more alcohol in his drink than he thought. He rarely let anyone touch his wings, yet a flirty look or two had him over the moon. He didn’t even know his name!
It was the eyes. It had to be. He had always been a sucker for the color blue.
“You’re pretty,” the man says suddenly. Hawks couldn’t even pretend this time that the sudden flush came from his drink. The man continued. “Far too pretty for this place. I’d be careful if I were you. Someone would fetch a hefty price for those wings.” He paused, and there was mischief in his eyes, but something was off. “I’m sure a few friends of mine would be more than interested.”
The realization settles over him like ice water. His back stiffens with the shock. The man gives him a devious look and that beautiful blue holds a hidden cruelty.
Hawks pulls back, turning to face forward in his bar seat. His voice lowers. “What are you, some kind of hitman or something?”
The man shrugs, unbothered by Hawks’ shift in attitude. “Hitman, bounty hunter, whatever you want to call it. I can make plenty of things happen for the right price.” And that’s all Hawks needs to hear.
His chair screeches with the speed that Hawks stands.
“Aww c’mon birdie,” the man teases. ”Don’t get your feathers all ruffled.”
Hawks glares. “Don’t call me that.” Hawks turns to make his way out, but the man is faster. He shoots up, quickly stepping into Hawks’ space.
“Move aside.”
The man ignores him, instead leaning down so his lips are close to Hawk’s ear. Hawk’s fingers inch to his side where his bayard lays hidden. “I’m sure an Avian like you would be worth a lot. Oh, but I bet they’d pay even more for a paladin of Voltron.” His left hand jerks over the weapon compartment, ready to summon at a moment’s notice.
“How-?”
Dabi chuckles. “There aren’t exactly many humans out here. In fact, I can name them all on one hand: Toshinori Yagi, the former black paladin, Shouta Aizawa, the green paladin, Tsunagu Hakamata, the former blue paladin, and….Enji Todoroki, the current black paladin. Isn’t that right, red paladin Hawks?”
Hawks shoves past the man, but he grabs at Hawks’ wrist. He’s about to summon his bayard when a bright light fills his vision. It’s familiar, yet different from his other lion bonds. Yellow was like the sun-baked Earth: warm, grounded and comforting. Yellow helped to build him up, to give him the foundation he needed as a paladin. Meanwhile Red burns like a blazing fire: hot, passionate, and fast. Red helped him to truly spread his wings and soar. But Blue is the opposite. Blue’s touch is cool, kind, and safe; her touch is that of a loving parent. Blue is home.
Images flash across his eyes, much too fast for him to comprehend. A scarred hand on his shoulder. A beautiful, fiery blue. Two hands intertwined. A name.
Touya.
Hawks comes to with a gasp. Across from him, the other man’s eyes are blown wide, his skin a shade or two paler. Hawks yanks his arm from his shaking grasp and bolts out the door. He doesn’t slow down, running at top speed as he unfurls his wings and pushes off into the air.
It’s not until the sight of the Red Lion enters his vision that he finally lets himself properly breathe. Another minute or so and he can finally be free of this dump.
He touches down in front of Red’s particle barrier. Funnily enough, she didn’t lower it as he approached, but hey, Hawks doesn’t blame her for being a little cautious around here.
He knocks a little on the wall. “Ok girl, open up.”
The lion doesn’t respond. There wasn’t even a pull on their shared mental link. Hawks swallows hard to push down the slight panic rising in his throat.
“Red, c’mon. What’s going on? We need to get out of here.” Nothing. “Red? Hello?” He waves his arms, as if the problem was just that the giant beast couldn’t see him. “It’s me, Hawks.” Very deliberately, emphasizing each word just to get to point across, he calls, “I. Am. Your. Paladin.”
But the lion remains impassive. With a groan of frustration, Hawks throws himself cross-legged onto the ground. He drums on his leg impatiently. Red offers nothing.
What was happening? Did Blue’s vision cause whatever this change was with Red? Hawks is almost afraid to ask himself. Could it be that Red deemed him unworthy of being her paladin? The thought of that just about broke his heart.
For Hawks, Red was a dream. At first, he didn’t know how he could possibly take over for Enji. To this day, he can’t command Red the way that Enji could. But none of that mattered once he first laid his hands on the control. The lion came to life under him, and he could feel its very presence through the tips of his feathers and down to his bones. He felt powerful. He felt free.
If Red was telling him now that he wasn’t needed….
Hawks felt his communicator buzz. Rumi was calling. He accepted the call and his teammate’s face filled the device. She looked frazzled, the fur on her long fuzzy ears mussed like she had been tugging on them.
“Hawks,” she cried.
‘What’s up, Rumi?”
“Blue is gone!”
Hawks’ eyes shoot open wide. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”
There was a slight thumping sound on the other end of the call. Rumi had a habit of thumping her padded feet when she was anxious. From the sound of it, she was thumping up a storm.
“I mean that she just up and flew off on her own. Shouta’s tracking her coordinates and it looks like she’s headed in your direction. Did something happen, Hawks?”
Hawks looks back to where Red stood, raised barrier sending a message clear as day, then to the sky. So that’s it, then? He was getting the boot. He figured he should be happy that another lion did want him. But he thinks back to the images Blue showed him. He thinks to the nurturing feelings Blue gave him. As nice as they were, he doesn’t feel like they were meant for him.
He was about to answer when a faint rustling catches his ears. He ends the call and shoves the communicator back into his pocket. He pulls his bayard out, transforming it into a long, curved blade. Whether Red wanted him or not, he’d go down fighting to protect her.
From behind the trees, the blue-eyed man from the bar emerges. Hawks glares at him.
“What do you want?”
He approaches slowly, never taking his eyes off of the lion. Hawks doesn’t take his eyes off him. Finally, Hawks feels Red in his mind. She purrs gently at him, simultaneously apologizing to him and placating him. Red rarely did placating; Hawks wondered bitterly if that meant that this stranger really was to be his replacement?
The man sauntered up with far less care than a man with a sword aimed at him should.
“Look,” he started, “I just want some answers. What was that at the bar? It felt like….” He trailed off, but Hawks didn’t need to hear the rest. It felt like home.
Hawks sighed, lowering the sword slightly. “Is your name Touya?”
The man flinched harshly, his eyes blowing wide in a brief panic before settling on an impassive look.
“I don’t know a Touya,” he said cooly. Hawks didn’t call out the obvious lie. “My name is Dabi.”
Dabi. “Ok then, Dabi. I’ll be completely honest, I don’t know what’s going on either. Ever since I met you the lions seem to be going haywire. I wanna know myself, but if I bring some random crook back to our base, Enji will have my head.”
Dabi’s eyes grow ice cold. “And you just do everything he says, don’t you?”
Hawks’ brow furrows. “Uh yeah?” He drawls. “He’s kinda our leader now.” Hawks has seen many things in his time in space, yet never has he seen such unadulterated hatred as he sees in Dabi’s eyes at the mention of the black paladin.
“What’s your problem with Enji?
Dabi scowls. “Nothing that involves you, birdie.”
Hawks is about to retort when a loud mechanical roar rumbles through the air. Hawks looks up to see the Blue lion descending into the clearing. She lands next to Red, putting her barrier up to match her companion.
“What’s going on?” Dabi asks. Instead of answering, Hawks approaches Blue. He puts a hand to her barrier, but nothing happens. Hawks can’t say he’s disappointed though. Red nudges in the back of his mind, their bond as strong as ever. Red wasn’t leaving him, and that thought leaves him with a smile on his face. When he looks into Blue’s yellow eyes, he can almost sense what she’s thinking. He was right. Blue wasn’t here for him.
“Dabi, the Blue Lion has chosen you to be her new paladin.”
Dabi gapes at Hawks, then Blue, before snapping his jaw shut.
“No.” He said simply.
“Excuse me?”
Dabi’s face is tight, glaring at both man and mechanical beast. “No,” he repeats. “The Galra have taken enough from me as it is. Because of them I’m some disfigured freak stranded on the other side of the galaxy. I barely made it out with my life. I’m not going back just to fight someone else’s war. Thanks, but no thanks.”
Dabi turns to leave but Hawks grabs his wrist before he can get away. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thinks of how their positions are reversed from earlier.
“Dabi, wait. Just listen.” Hawks sighs. “Look, I don’t like this anymore than you. Frankly, I’m not sure if I can trust you yet. But I do trust the lions, and despite what you’re saying, I think you want to trust them as well.”
Hawks lets go of Dabi. He doesn’t turn around, but he doesn’t bolt either, so Hawks takes that as a good sign. “The Galra have been to Earth once before. That means that they can easily go back. We both know what they can do to planets. Don’t you have anyone back on your planet that you want to protect? Someone you want to return to?”
Dabi turns back around. His expression is unreadable, but so much raw emotion swims in his blue eyes. Hawks gives him a reassuring smile before stepping back to give him some space, standing by Red who finally lets her barrier down. He watches as Dabi hesitantly approaches and places a hand on the barrier. His eyes fall closed. The barrier doesn’t fall away immediately, but Hawks knows that things are happening. He can see it in the minute shifts in Dabi’s expressions and feel it in the way Red’s purring fills their mental link. Just before Blue’s barrier finally falls away, Hawks swears he can see a hint of a tear glistening on Dabi’s cheek.
Dabi’s eyes open just as the barrier drops and Blue slowly lowers her massive head to greet her new paladin. Dabi places a hand on her jaw before seeking out Hawks. Hawks meets him halfway with a large grin on his face, offering out his hand. Dabi takes his hand, a small smile of his own on his own face.
“Welcome to the team.”