Chapter Text
The minute Black was left without a pilot, Lance knew it would have to be Keith. It wasn’t just the fact that despite how well they’d all bonded Keith and Shiro were still closest to each other. And it wasn’t just the fact that Keith desperately needed a responsibility to mellow him out in the wake of Shiro’s disappearance. Lance, as much as he hated it, had a certain propensity for knowing things when it came to Keith. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and he was well aware of it, but if it was Keith? Lance was a fucking genius at Keithology. Lance was proficient enough to easily earn a postgraduate degree in Keithology. Lance was the best Keithologist there was, brought on by two solid years of all but stalking the guy so he could finally taste victory and one solid year of getting to know him as a friend, as family .
But he digressed. The point here was that Lance knew, and knew well, that Black wasn’t going to respond to him. Of course, he wanted her to, just because it would be so fucking awesome if she did. He wasn’t going to deny that he was still largely the starry-eyed, cocky kid that had first gotten into Blue’s pilot seat. Maybe, he thought a little delusionally, he’d finally have a real place on the team if Black picked him. Even if he was just a stand-in until they got Shiro back.
He kicked himself for even daring to think about it. Blue was going to be so mad at him for wanting it at all. She’d reached out and chosen him; who was he to turn his back on her like this? Necessity was one thing, but Lance wanting Black over Blue? That was a surefire way to lose your girl. He’d watched people learn that the hard way and had sworn never to do it himself.
“Lance,” Allura said, cutting through his reverie. “Are you alright? You’ve been staring at Black for five full doboshes. You can go after Keith, if you want.”
Doboshes. Lance could not wait to get back to Earth where time passed in goddamn minutes . Instead he sighed, shot the Princess his brightest smile and said as confidently as he could, “I’m okay. Just watch me, guys. Obviously Black’s gonna pick the best of us.”
He wanted to mean, I’m the best pilot here . He wanted to mean it so, so badly. But he knew they knew what he meant too. Allura’s eyes flashed with a deep sympathy; Hunk and Pidge gazed at him with a weirdly prideful pity instead of rolling their eyes; and Keith ignored him, like he’d been ignoring all of them. Lance ignored the sting in his chest as Pidge squeezed his hand. Why was it that half the words that came out of his mouth always had something to do with a mullet-haired jerkwad?
Said mullet-haired jerkwad’s gaze, usually a startling violet bright with readiness, was flat and dull and dead like they’d been since Shiro had gone missing. Lance wanted to say something, comfort Keith in some way—get that spark back into his eyes. But his tongue failed him, and so he turned and steeled himself and walked up the gangway into Black’s awaiting mouth.
Black was nothing like Blue. Blue’s cockpit was located right where her eyes would be had she been an actual lion, and when her systems were down, Lance could still see the outside world clearly through her eye-visors. Blue was by far the most efficient of the five when Voltron was powered down; the others possessed greater power granted by their Quintessence, but Blue was versatile. She just worked , no matter what you threw at her. She was Voltron’s failsafe and their indomitable backup plan.
And she’d chosen him so unequivocally. So Lance supposed he was a little like that, too. The thought buoyed him a bit, and he smiled to himself. Black was huge and grand and opulent like a head should be—her gangway (unlike Blue’s, which went straight to her cockpit) led up to a long corridor, behind which was the cockpit. It was located high and behind Black’s eyes, where her brain might be. Lance guessed it made sense, her being the head of Voltron and all.
Wow. She’s massive. He stroked a hand reverently over the large seat that was rightfully Shiro’s, feeling the raw untameable energy running through the animal. Beautiful. But also, Jesus Christ, poor Pidge. Lance had to stifle a guffaw at the mental image of her attempting to reach for the controls. Her legs wouldn’t even have hit the ground! No wonder she’d come out as quickly as she did and looking like she’d been spat on by Zarkon himself.
Black rumbled, deep and slow. Lance could tell she was getting impatient. “Okay, girl. Okay. This is gonna be over quick, yeah? I’m just gonna sit down, and nothing’s gonna happen, and I’ll pretend to be mad but I’m not really mad at you, I promise, so don’t get all temperamental and refuse to form Voltron or something. I love Blue more anyway. Can’t be parting with her, now, can I? You must know how she gets. You were there when she was, like, born or whatever.”
He inhaled, a sweet lungful of air, and sat down in the pilot’s seat. Shiro was a few inches taller than him, but the problem was that Lance was as disproportionate as one of Pidge’s favourite anime characters. He was mostly leg with a side of very handsome face (if he did say so himself). The seat height was way too low for his tiny torso and there wasn’t enough room for his legs, but that didn’t really matter. It wasn’t like Black was going to—
Something whirred to life, and Lance froze as purple lights came on. “No. No fucking way.”
Black rumbled again. The seat rose in height, positioning him right in front of the camera feedback that was giving him a clear view of the world outside. It went back a little too, creating the perfect amount of leg space. Her controls were in reach, and it felt right, it felt natural , it felt—
“No,” Lance gasped, leaping out of the seat and standing up. “Black, no. You can’t choose me. You and I both know it has to be Keith. Please. It’s what Shiro wanted.”
A purr. Why not? it said, and Lance realised with a jolt that Black was talking to him. Even Blue had never done this before, what the fuck?! There is steel in you, child. You might need… a little work —Christ, this thing sounded like his eighth-grade math teacher— but you will get there. No cub is more suitable than you.
“Hold up. No .” Lance put his hands up. “That’s not true. I’m not a leader.”
Takashi wasn’t, either, at first. He learned. He made mistakes. You will too.
“Mistakes?” Lance laughed, feeling a little bitter. “Yeah. That’s definitely going to happen. I’d bet you money that’s all that’s going to happen. Now I’m gonna get out, and you’re gonna pick Keith—AKA, the true Black Lion paladin—before the team figures out something’s up.”
He turned to leave. The door of the cockpit slammed shut. “For fuck’s sake! Black!”
Not so fast, said Black, sounding irritated, and exactly like Shiro did when he was mad. Do you not want the responsibility? The yellow cub did not. The green cub… was not ready for it. But Blue chose you because you… clearly crave for it. And I feel it too. Why do you still shy away? You are a natural, little thing.
“Not like Keith,” Lance said truthfully. It did not hurt. He’d acknowledged it a long time ago; Keith was a better pilot, and Lance could see now that he had more potential to be a leader than any of them did. He was Shiro’s first pick, for goodness’ sake. That counted for a lot in Lance’s eyes. “Shiro wanted him to be the leader, if he was gone. Shouldn’t that matter most to you?”
I admit, Black said, sounding a little mournful, that the red cub is who I wanted, at first—
“There you go then!” Relief shot through Lance, bulletlike. “I’ll be on my way and you can pick Keithy-boy and we’ll be fine and dandy —”
Not. So. Fast. I’m not done talking. There was a snarl to her voice. Lance froze.
“Um. Sorry.”
I admit, Black repeated forcefully, I wanted the red cub. I was only going to allow him in. Because Takashi wanted me to. He told me much about the child.
“Of course he did.” Lance smiled fondly. He was the resident Keithologist, but Shiro’s knowledge matched his by virtue of the sheer trust Keith placed in him. And Shiro did have a tendency to… well. “He talks about all of us like we’re his little siblings, or something.”
He certainly does, Black agreed. He told me of the green cub, of the yellow cub. Of you and the pink cub who does not yet have a lion. From what I heard, I knew he had equal faith in all of you, no matter who I chose. But he spoke of the red cub with the fondness of years knowing him. I knew that Takashi would have been happiest with the red cub’s hands on my controls.
“I hear ya,” Lance said, unable to keep the smile off his face. Of course Shiro would talk about all of them like that. It was nice to hear Black erase any doubts he’d ever had about their leader not taking him seriously. Shiro had seen equal potential in all of them. But he loved Keith just a little bit differently—which was fair , really. Lance would go for Hunk and Pidge without a thought if someone dangled them all over a volcano, and come back for Shiro and Keith. Allura and Coran could probably save themselves, or were immune to lava, but in the event they weren’t… he’d figure it out.
He was digressing, again . Black snorted, sounding amused.
That is one of the things we’re going to have to work on, she purred. Lance whined loudly.
“Come on! I don’t have my ADHD meds out here. I’m gonna be a bit rambly and you’re just gonna have to deal—” He stiffened. “Wait. No. You’re not dealing with anything. ‘Cause you chose wrong. It’s Keith, girl. Not me.”
But it is you. I want you. Black sounded almost petulant. And you want me. There is nothing wrong—
“This is genuinely starting to sound like I am cheating on Blue,” Lance said, voice high-pitched and squeaking with effort. “Which I refuse to do. I’m loyal to my girl. Please, Black. We can’t be together.” For the love of fuck, why was he talking like someone out of one of his Mama’s telenovelas?!
If you insist, said Black, sounding defeated at last. Her cockpit opened back up to the outside world, and Lance sagged in relief.
“It’s been real. Thanks for considering me, girl. This was a pretty insane ego boost.” He wasn’t entirely lying. Knowing what Shiro truly thought of him had been… helpful, to say the least. “I’ll do my best not to argue too much with Keithy.”
I’ll wait until you are ready, Black said instead. Lance scoffed.
“Not happening. See you around.” He all but sprinted down the gangway, met with the raised eyebrows of Allura, Pidge and Hunk.
“Half a varga?” Allura said a little tetchily. “I was on the verge of bodily pulling you out.”
That long? Seriously, Black? Lance swallowed the truth and pasted on a pout. “It hates all of us!”
They all glanced at Keith, who shook his head and verbalised Lance’s exact thoughts from earlier: “Not happening.”
Unlike Lance, his resolve was weak. Black purred to life under his hands near-instantly, but Lance sensed a tinge of resentment and forced back an apology. When he exited the lion, his eyes were weary.
“I can’t replace Shiro.”
No one would say anything, so Lance did. Lance was good at filling up silences and better at knowing Keith’s needs. He put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezed a little, and told him directly, “Shiro would have wanted this. You’re not replacing him. Just standing in, for a little bit. And that’s okay. We need you, Keith. Shiro needs you.”
Keith swallowed. The rest came up to join him, and they talked about Shiro. Talked about how much he meant to all of them. Finally acknowledged that they were a damn family . Hugged it out.
And at long last, Keith exhaled and said, “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Lance didn’t think he’d ever been happier.
So Blue didn’t want him, either. And Lance knew it was more than just her being upset he’d wanted to pilot Black, even if just a bit. In fact, it wasn’t that at all—Blue was mad he hadn’t taken it on.
“I’m sorry, girl. But we have to help the others. Please.” He begged with all he had. “Please. I need you, Blue. You’re my ride or die. My forever girl. Please.”
“Lance!” Allura called, worry colouring her voice. Lance had never been happier to see her. He cracked a wan smile.
“I think Blue’s upset I tried Black’s cockpit. She won’t let me in.”
“The lions are smarter than that,” Allura said, gentler, and nudged him. “You know this. Maybe… maybe you’re needed somewhere else.”
“By wh—” And Red roared . Lance blinked. “No fucking way.” Two other lions choosing him in one day?
“Go,” Allura told him, wrapping him in a quick hug. “Red calls for you. I know not if she’s your destiny forever, but in this moment, she certainly is.”
So Lance went. And if what he had had for Keith before was admiration, now it was practically hero-worship. Red was fast and it took constant vigilance to work her at all. It would have to come with years of blood, sweat, and tears if you weren’t a natural at this—and Lance was far from a natural with speed. He did best with Blue; patient, waiting for the right moment to strike, even if that wasn’t always who he was.
Still. Red wasn’t his, and she knew it as well as he did. The moment he’d got into her cockpit, he’d known she wanted him only for the sake of Voltron. Lance was okay with that. Lance could work with that, because he felt the same way.
He and Red both loved Keith too much not to put their pride aside when need arose.
Thayserix had been, well… a disaster. Lance didn’t like to think it, hated himself for even considering it, but Keith was so bad at this. Even when Shiro had just been starting out, he’d been so much gentler. Then again, Shiro was ten years older than all of them. Keith was younger than Lance (by a few months, but it still counted, okay?).
Even so. When things had come to a standstill, he’d had to rally Keith into taking action. Lance disliked how natural it felt to take the lead, how easy it was to bring Keith back to equilibrium and push them into moving on. He’d felt like he was stifling himself the whole time he’d followed, and couldn’t help but think in a moment of fury— if I was leading, I wouldn’t have brought us here in the first fucking place .
Red hadn’t liked that one. It was why she’d crashed him into Blue and sent Allura flying a little bit. Lance didn’t have the strength to care.
Now, though, they were safe. Keith had time, Lance assured himself. Time to grow, and to learn, and to be the leader Shiro was. Voltron was going to be okay, and Lance wasn’t going to be the Black Paladin. Ever. He would rather be stuck in outer space alone with the Red Lion for the rest of his life. For now, he could go the fuck to sleep because he needed it after that damn acid trip. Stupid Thayserix, stupid Lotor, and stupid Keith.
Speak of the devil. Three sharp raps came on the door of his room, which he flung open to reveal the Red-slash-Black Paladin himself. Keith looked exhausted, and he also looked determined, and… proud ?
“I figured it out,” he said to Lance, who was utterly confused and also half asleep. Not a fun combination. “Black told me something very important.”
“Huh?” said Lance eloquently. “What’d she say?”
“Something she and I knew the minute you stepped into her cockpit,” Keith said, and didn’t give him time to think as he bodily dragged him out of his room and down to Black’s hangar. When they got there, it hit Lance with the force of an oncoming truck.
“She told you,” he said, stomach sinking. “About…”
“Yes,” Keith said, and looked at him. If Lance wasn’t barely conscious and therefore definitely imagining it, he might have thought it was with fondness. “She told me she chose you . And I have to agree. Lance, out there… you brought the team back to our senses. You and Allura. Both of you are more similar than you know, and—Lance, it’s you .”
“What,” Lance said, still very eloquent. “It’s too late for this.”
Keith grabbed his wrist, again, and pulled him, again, only this time they trudged up a gangway and into Black’s cockpit.
“It’s all yours,” he said with a flourish, and Lance, who was too tired to think, flopped down into the first chair he saw.
Black flared to life in seconds.
Well, that woke him up. And if it hadn’t, the way Keith squeezed his shoulder and smiled affectionately—so he wasn’t imagining it, good to know—definitely did.
“It’s you, Lance. You’re the Black Paladin. Congratulations.”
“No I’m not,” Lance said faintly, and because the universe liked to shit on him, the Black bayard formed in his hand.
“Are you not,” said Keith, smirking. “Well, I’m outta here. Red will want me back rested tomorrow. Are you planning to stay all night in there?”
“I—uh—no.” Lance took the hand Keith had put out and followed him out of Black, heading back to the rooms under his guidance like a lost puppy. “What just happened?”
“We can talk about it in the morning,” Keith said almost tenderly, opening the door of his room. “For now, let’s just go to bed. We should tell everyone later.”
“Right,” Lance agreed sleepily, concluding that this was all a dream. Dream Keith was a lot nicer to him than Real Keith was. It was nice. “G’night.”
And he promptly passed out on his bed.
Lance woke up with a splitting headache and five faces giving him the most gobsmacked, inquisitive and gleeful stares ever.
The first thing he heard, courtesy Hunk, was a smug, “You look horrid in black. It washes you right out,” which, of course, was a lie Lance had to dispute, and so he did with a whiny, “I look hot in black, what are you talking about? I’ll wear it right now to prove you wrong.”
“Great,” said Allura, grinning widely, and tossed the Black Paladin suit at him. “Show us just how hot you look in it, dear Lance.”
Lance looked at the suit, then back at Allura, then back at the suit.
Then he screamed .