Chapter Text
A soft blow of the wind crept in through the window, jolting curtains and causing a shiver to run down Keith’s spine. His eyes struggled to focus on anything except the pitch black of the room, and Keith found himself sitting on the couch-- their couch-- alone.
Sitting in front of him was a small box. Creased folds and wrinkled edges stared back at him as moonlight seeped through a crack in the windows. Aging black sharpie screamed through the silence, with the word written on the box feeling like a knife through his chest.
Lance .
It wasn’t long ago that Lance died. 2 years ago, Lance caught a virus in space. Coran immediately threw him in a pod, but it seemed resistant to the Altean technology. Pidge tried everything she could to find a way to cure him, but no matter how far she looked, she couldn’t find anything.
It didn’t seem to affect him much, though. Lance always kept a smile on his face and fought through every day, just hoping to see the next one. After a year, the virus still hadn’t moved on, and Lance began to throw coughing fits.
2 months after Lance’s health deteriorated, Keith found him with his eyes closed in the living room, whispering long prayers to God in Spanish.
Keith found it odd how Lance still found it in him to pray. Even when God was a cruel being, sending them flying through outer space, making them the universe’s last chance at survival, and letting Lance catch whatever this virus was, Lance believed they could help. Perhaps it was a last resort, perhaps it was stupidity, but either way, it caused Keith to cry more times than he would ever admit.
Lance held out until they defeated Zarkon, and tumbled back to Earth with his health close to nothing. He was a shell of what he used to be, so vibrant and moving, but Keith still smiled at Lance’s antics during their time together.
And now, Keith was staring at a box. A box that belonged to Lance.
Cautiously, Keith opened the lid of the box, peaking through the darkness. He felt his breath hitch as a camera sat undisturbed inside. His fingers wrapped around the lens of the camera, brushing off dust that came with age, and found himself hoping.
Finally standing, Keith plugged the camera’s file into the television, and felt his eyes water as those bright blue eyes stared back at him through the screen. Like lightning from the clouds, Lance was staring right back at him. His face was frozen, and Keith had to find it in him to press play.
“Is it on? Did I get it to work??” Lance gasped, his face lighting up as his question seemed to be answered.
“Oh my god, okay, hi!” Lance waved awkwardly at the camera, his smile shining brighter than Keith has seen in years. “My name is Lance, and uh, this is my diary. Well,” Lance shrugged. “Whatever you wanna call it. Okay, let’s see…”
Lance began to ramble on and on about himself, Voltron, and the other paladins. Keith found a smile edging onto his face, and he could already tell this was Lance’s doing. It’s been so long since he’s felt his presence, only hearing his voice in his daydreams and nightmares, and Keith felt a small tear drip it’s way down his face.
“Oh yeah, Keith . Let’s talk about that guy.” Lance laughed, leaning back in his lion’s seat and fidgeting with his fingers. “I have a crush on him. It’s insane, I know, and this is the first time I’m actually saying it out loud.”
A pretty blush travelled up Lance’s neck, covering his ears and his freckles, and Lance cleared his throat. “If you’re watching this, Mama, please tell me I introduced him to you. I bet you guys would get along. That guy is in desperate need of a hug and some motherly love.”
Keith did, in fact, meet Lance’s mother. It went exactly as Lance predicted.
Lance’s mother took one good look at Keith and pulled him into a hug, tearing a small gasp out of Keith. Lance laughed off to the side, staring at the both of them like he was trying to memorize the scene.
“Aye, mi tesoro, how did you manage to get such a cute boy in space?” His mother asked, pulling back slightly to get a good look at him.
“Cute alien boyfriend, mama.” Lance corrected, walking forward and lacing Keith’s fingers with his own. “This guy is basically half-cat.”
Keith retaliated by squeezing Lance’s fingers. Lance squeezed back.
His mother laughed, the vibrations of it spreading through Keith’s body. “Welcome to the family, Keith.”
Keith felt a buzz of happiness rush through him.
“And, Veronica,” Lance’s voice jolted Keith out of his memory, causing the world to shift slightly as his focus regained on his husband’s voice.
“I bet you and Keith would get along too. You both know how to piss me off!” He laughed, his eyes crinkling at the sides. “But seriously, you guys would end up dragging me away for all these adventures, which I would totally go on because who can say no to their favorite sibling and crush?
Keith’s focus was so drawn in by Lance-- the Lance whose heart belonged with his family even in outer space-- that he almost didn’t realize when Lance began to say goodbye.
“I’ll see you guys soon. I promise. If anyone on team Voltron saw this, I need you to swear to secrecy. Don’t show this to Keith. Buh-bye!”
The screen flickered to black, leaving Keith with the last bits of Lance’s voice still ringing in his ears.
Don’t show this to Keith.
That clearly didn’t age well.