Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Frozen, his feet moved automatically, walking as Hunk led him down one of the Garrison hallways away from Allura and Romelle. His mind raced at a speed of a million miles a second, but at the same time his thoughts felt sluggish as they floated aimlessly through his brain, unable to be harnessed and sorted through. He had tuned out Hunk’s voice from beside him, but when it became too difficult to try to organize his thought process, he returned his focus to the world around him

“...nd I know you’ve been dreaming of this for so long, Lance. I’m so happy for you, buddy!” Hunk was saying and Lance stopped dead in his tracks. Hunk stopped a few steps later, turning back to his friend. “Uh, Lance?’

“I– I finally asked her out,” Lance said, sounding dumbfounded. “And… and she said yes!”

He looked up to meet Hunk’s eyes, a giddiness threatening to crawl its way up his throat and leak into a smile, but he held it in. That is, until Lance was met with Hunk’s warm smile when he said “Yeah, man. She did.”

“She said yes!” He breathed, and then he felt the widest grin spread over his face, the bubbly giddiness that had been welling up inside him finally spilling out. Lance reached out and gripped tightly to Hunk’s shoulder, shaking his best friend back and forth in his excitement. Because he just got himself a date. A date with Allura; The woman of his dreams. He had been dreaming of this moment from the first day he met her, all those years ago in the Castle of Lions. It felt like so long ago, but now all of the memories he had of her were coming to the surface as a voice in his head wouldn’t stop screaming “She said yes!”

“Holy shit I’ve got a date with Allura!” Lance squawked, having gone from shaking Hunk’s arm to slapping it, unable to contain his joy. Allura would be coming over for dinner with his family. He just knows they’re all going to love her. What would it be like, on a date with her? She seemed so out of his league, but she had agreed to this date! He was over the moon. He needed to find something nice to wear, something classy. What would she wear? He’d only really seen Allura in her formal Altean wear, her paladin suit, and the uniform issued to her by the garrison. It really wouldn’t matter. She looked absolutely stunning in just about anything.

“Ha, yeah– ah!” Hunk winced as one of Lance’s hands came down too hard on his arm.

“Woops, sorry man.” Lance apologized, patting the guy’s arm.

“It’s no biggie. Hey, how about we get some celebratory milkshakes?” He suggested.

“I’m down!” Lance said, already striding down the hallway with his fingers laced behind his neck and elbows in the air, practically oozing confidence. This was going to be a wonderful day.

With minds half frozen from the milkshakes, he and Hunk ran into Pidge, who they caught walking towards them down the hallway, a tablet in hand, eyes glued to the screen.

“Pidge!” Lance calls, his voice echoing through the corridor. At the sound of his voice, Pidge looks up only seconds before Lance jogged up to them, slinging an arm around their shoulders and ruffling their hair. “There you are!”

Pidge yelped as their tablet threatened to fall from their grasp. They got a firm hold of it before looking quizzically up at Lance. He must have had a stupid grin on his face – he could feel it lifting his cheeks – but he couldn't help it.

“Were you looking for me?” they asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not particularly,” Lance said, expression becoming thoughtful, but then his smile returned and he ruffled Pidge’s hair again, “But I’m happy to see you!”

This evoked a laugh out of them. The little paladin looked up at Hunk. “What’s with him?” They ask, gesturing to Lance.

“He’s got a date with Allura tonight.” Hunk explained.

Pidge looked up at Lance and smirks. “What? No way!” they hum, almost sarcastically, wiggling their eyebrows at him. They ducked out from under his arm and moved to stand beside Hunk. “Loverboy finally got himself a date now, did he?”

“That’s right!” He proclaims, putting on one of his best winning smiles and striking a pose. “Who can say no to this face?”

“Lance, I say this in the nicest way possible, but I’ve seen you get turned down across the entire universe,” Pidge deadpanned. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

Lance stuck his tongue out at them. Okay, so maybe he had gotten turned down a couple hundred times, but he hadn’t been really serious about any of the aliens he had flirted with. His attraction to Allura, this incredible feeling inside his chest had been there since almost the first day they met her on Arus, and it had only gotten stronger over the years. Lance had waited so long for this. He couldn’t even process half of the excitement and anticipation humming through his veins.

The three of them began to walk down the hall, Hunk and Lance trailing Pidge as they headed to the indoor gardens where their mother worked. She needed Pidge for something, it seemed. Turning a corner, they almost ran head first into Shiro.

“Where are you three headed?” He asked, waving to them from a few paces ahead.

“Mom needs my help.” Pidge replied, tapping a few more things into their tablet before looking up at Shiro. “I don’t normally see you around this area.”

“Yeah, I needed to get up and walk around. I’m making my way back to the conference room now.” He said, visibly wincing as if it were the worst possible fate and the thought alone caused him physical pain. Lance could relate. He hated having to sit through all of the meetings and debriefs that always took way longer than they should have.

Shiro turned to Hunk and Lance. “And where are you two headed?”

“We’re just accompanying Pidge for now. We’re not really going anywhere.” Hunk said.

“Lance is going on a date with Allura tonight,” Pidge smirked. At that, Shiro’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He looked at Lance and smiled.

“Wow. Congratulations, Lance.” He said, a warm smile spreading over his face. “I’m sure you’re looking forward to it.”

“Yeah I am!” Lance beamed, “This has been, like, my dream! I can’t wait.”

“Well, good luck,” Shiro wished him, resting a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”

Lance smiled at him. “Thanks.”

“Well, I’ll see you guys around. Say hi to your mother for me, Pidge.” Shiro called, already continuing his walk. He raised his hand in a parting wave before turning a corner and disappearing into the labyrinth of hallways once again. The three of them kept walking in the direction of the gardens, and when they got there, Pidge was greeted by Beezer, the little robot giving a squeak and whir of excitement as it rolled away back towards the rows of plants.

“Unless you guys want to stick around, I’ll see you guys later!” Pidge called over their shoulder, already pulling up holo-screens and checking numerous charts. Lance and Hunk waved as the door slid shut, leaving the two of them to wander the halls once more.

“Hey,” Hunk said, breaking the silence, “Do you think you should talk to Coran about the date?”

Lance raised an eyebrow, turning to look at his best friend. “Coran? Why?”

“Well,” Hunk pondered, fiddling with the cuff of his uniform. “They’re both Altean, and royalty at that. Don’t you think he can give you some pointers?”

Lance could feel his eyes go wide. How could he not have thought of that? Of course Alteans wouldn’t have dates exactly like the ones on Earth. What were dates like in their culture? Especially dates with royalty. “Hunk, that’s a brilliant idea!” Lance shouted, “I’ll figure out how to incorporate Altean customs into our date, and maybe it’ll impress Allura!”

“I mean, I was just going to suggest clothes or food, but–”

“Sorry buddy, gotta run! I’ll see you later Hunk!” Lance dashed off down the hall to find the man with the mustache. If anyone could give him advice on Allura, it would be him.

As it turned out, asking Coran for dating advice almost made him wish he didn't have a date. Almost. Because Lance would endure much worse to make Allura happy. There were just so many customs and rules about courting Altean royalty, and Lance would be lucky to remember a quarter of it all. He wandered through the halls of the Garrison, adorned in what Coran deemed to be a substitute for proper Altean courting attire, which meant he was now strolling around with a large pot on his head, skillets strapped to his shoulders, and a chain of sausage links wrapped around his neck. Two table cloths trailed behind him, one from each shoulder, and a thick belt sat around his waist, sporting a frying pan.

If this even loosely resembled Altean dress, then Lance would say that they seem like a very cooking-oriented society. Lance was pretty sure Coran ransacked the kitchen for all of this. To say the least, Lance had gotten some peculiar looks from the generals and cadets alike he passed in the halls, and it did nothing to quell the nervous energy starting to hum through his veins. He hadn’t had a chance to actually see himself, but he thought he probably looked like an idiot. What would Allura think? He had been so sure of himself earlier, but as the sun started to set outside and the time drew nearer, a growing sense of dread began to weigh on him. What if he didn’t have this whole date under control? It would screw up everything.

He stopped and stared at the metal doors as they slid open, revealing the outside tarmac where SUV’s were temporarily parked, taking a break from transporting people around all day. The whole place had been buzzing with activity, preparing for the IFG-ATLAS’s launch tomorrow. Tonight marked the last night he and the rest of them would be spending on Earth for who knows how long. The sky was beginning to glow with the first hints of sunset, kissing the flat lands and small mountains of the desert with a warm orange glow, turning the shadows a dark red.

Red…

Lance scanned the area, and upon finding no one, he turned and made his way back through the base. He checked the dining hall, the conference room, the barracks, looking for a familiar mop of black hair. Everytime he started to doubt himself, Lance always ended up turning to the same person. It was a wonder why Lance always sought out someone famously known for being bad with words, but something about the black paladin calmed Lance’s nerves and silenced the critical voices in his head with little more than some encouragement and a smile.

Lance knew he and Keith hadn’t always gotten along, but ever since Keith came back from the Blade of Marmora, Lance realized that he appreciated the guy more than he thought. Sure, they still got into friendly spats or disagreements from time to time. That stayed the same. They were friends now. They could fully rely on each other, open up about weaknesses, and have each others’ backs.

And now, Lance could really use a confidence boost. Coran had him scared that he would somehow royally fuck up this date if he didn’t get the customs right, but how would he manage to do that when he couldn’t even remember a fraction of them? He found himself standing out on one of the Garrison’s observation decks, looking out over the desert. He hadn’t seen any sign of Keith around the facility, but he had to be here somewhere. He knew for a fact that Keith didn’t have anywhere else he would go so soon before the Launch. Lance just had to find him…

There, atop a small hill not too far from the buildings, facing into the setting sun, sat the black lion, as regal as ever.He felt a soft smile curve his lips. Bingo! With an amused sigh, he turned back inside yet again, hoping that he’d be able to catch Keith before he left.

Lance was absolutely winded by the time he reached the top of Black’s head, breathing hard with his hands on his knees. Not only did he have to walk across almost the entire Garrison, but then climb a giant robot lion? He might have been in good shape, but that bordered on pushing his ability a little. Not to mention he still had all of the cookware on him.

“Man,” He grunted as he climbed over Black’s ear and walked over to where Keith sat above one of the lion’s eyes, staring off at the setting sun with Kosmo laying beside him, “You can be a real hard guy to find when you want to be.”

He stepped up next to Keith, standing there and still trying to catch his breath. Keith glanced over at him briefly, already greeting him when he did a massive double take..

“Hey lan– Woah!” He stared at Lance, bewildered. “What… are you wearing?”

Lance sighed, taking a seat beside Keith on Black’s head. He told Keith about how he landed a date with Allura, taking the pot off his head in the process. He smiled when Keith congratulated him, and although it felt good, the pressure still weighed down on him.

“It’s our first date, but it also may be our last.” Lance sighed. “I can’t keep all these Altean customs straight.” Allura was a princess – royalty – and Lance was just… Lance. He could tell by the way Coran tried to teach him the customs of their people that every little thing mattered, yet here he was, sitting on top of the Black lion, covered in cooking supplies and sausages. Why did she agree to go out with someone like him?

“Listen,” Keith’s voice snapped Lance out of his spiral, but he didn't look up, “If she’s going out with you, it’s because she likes you. The annoying, stupid, Earth version of you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance could see Keith’s lips quirk upwards, and he himself couldn’t help but laugh, too. He had basically been insulted, but the way Keith said it made it feel like a compliment. He lifted his eyes to Keith, who’s own were gazing out at the setting sun. After a moment, Lance copied him. The sight filled Lance with a sort of reverence. It hadn’t occurred to him just how special sunsets were until he could no longer watch them over the desert or from the beach with his family. Some of the planets they had visited had sunsets similar to Earth’s, but none of them seemed to compare. Earth could be special, too, Lance mused as the two of them sat there, staring at the golden light being cast over the land. He hadn’t seen anything as perfect as this anywhere else.

“Watching the sun set?” Lance asked.

“Yeah. It might be a while before we get to see it again.” He answered, and Lance’s heart clenched in his chest. He – he had made it home. They all had. Now they’re leaving again.

“Man, I’m really gonna miss this place,” Lance sighed, hoping that his lilting tone would ease the suffocating feeling inside of him.

“That’s why we’ve gotta end this war.” Keith declared, jaw set with determination. “And we’re going to do that with the Lance that’s the paladin of the red lion,” the lines in his face relaxed, softening his features, “The Lance that’s always got my back,” his eyes fell shut as he breathed deeply, “And the Lance who knows exactly who he is, and what he’s got to offer.”

When Keith opened his eyes, they were trained on Lance; warm and powerful, deep and dark and consuming. He smiled, freezing Lance in place with his sincerity. He would always be weak to Keith’s kindness, Lance thought. In his experience, Keith had never tried to sugarcoat his words or weave them into something flowery or beautiful. He said what he thought, always honestly, and oftentimes it was only honesty that Lance needed to dig himself out of a pit.

He still had so much to stress over, but right here, watching the sun start to creep below the mountains, Lance felt as if all of his worries had slipped away, leaving him to simply enjoy the moment. He wouldn’t get to see another sunset on Earth for a while, and right now Lance couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.

He and Keith sat there in silence until the last molten rays of sun disappeared, leaving the sky rust colored as night started to take its hold. With a sigh, Lance got to his feet, picking up the large pot that he had set beside him.

“Well, I’ve gotta get going.” He said, arching his back until it cracked, “Don’t want to be late for my own date, y’know.”

Keith turned to face him, looking a bit startled, along with Kosmo, who’s tail gives a small wag. “Right,” He confirms, getting to his feet.

“Man, I’m still so nervous.” Lance slumped forward, dragging his hands down his face.

“Hey,” Keith said, setting a hand on Lance's shoulder, “Don’t worry about it. It’s going to work out fine.”

Lance looked up at him from between his fingers. He had been telling himself the same thing all day, repeating it like a mantra in his head while Coran droned on and on about royalty and courting and dress and blah blah blah. He had been trying to reassure himself that it would all go smoothly, but to no avail. Hearing someone else say it, especially Keith, with his no-nonsense tone of voice, Lance could almost believe that this date wouldn’t be a total disaster.

“Yeah?” He breathed, standing up straighter, “Yeah, okay.” A smile spread across his face.

Keith’s eyes crinkled at the edges with a smile of his own, though not as big as Lances. Lance made a show of brushing down his uniform before holding a hand out. “Thanks, Keith,” He said, and Keith took it, clasping it tight.

“No problem. Good luck, Sharpshooter.”

If Lance wasn’t filled to the brim with nervous energy, he would’ve thought Keith’s words sounded strained, but he paid it no mind as he waved over his shoulder before descending the black lion. He had a date with the most beautiful girl in the universe and he won’t be late.

He heard the doorbell ring from upstairs, where he stood in front of the mirror, trying to decide if he looked nice enough for a date with a princess. Having abandoned the pots and pans, Lance had decided on a grey and white raglan shirt over a light blue button up with a collar. He had on simple black pants and even borrowed some of his brother’s cologne because, despite the fact that Lance knows that he’s joking when he says it, Keith’s comments about the way he smells had wormed their way into his subconscious. He stared at his reflection, trying to figure out if his hair looked okay the way it was, chestnut brown framing his tan face. He decided it was as good as it’s going to get and hurried down the stairs, already hearing his mother’s warm welcome to Allura.

Allura looked more stunning than he could’ve ever imagined. She was beautiful when she dressed in her traditional Altean clothing, but she stood before him now wearing a white cocktail dress with three-quarter sleeves and white heels. A thin belt is cinched around her waist, making her outfit look even more refined. Her hair was down and Lance had forgotten how pretty it was that way.

When she noticed him standing on the stairs, her face lit up and Lance felt like the luckiest man in the universe.

“You look… amazing,” Lance breathed, which earned him a bashful smile from Allura.

“Thank you,” she replied. Lance stepped down the last few stairs. “You look nice, too.”

He let out a nervous chuckle, and after a few more pleasantries, Lance turned to show Allura to the dining room only to find the rest of his family standing there watching them.

“Oh,” Lance faltered, nerves beginning to rise again. He quickly introduced each of his family members, and once they were all acquainted, everyone made their way to sit around the table that was laid out with a feast fitting of his and Allura’s last day on Earth.

The night was lively, and Lance could hardly take his eyes off of Allura. The way her eyes crinkled and her musical laugh sent butterflies through his stomach. His family loved her, and that made him happier than he could express.

Unfortunately for Lance, his family began to tell stories as dinner progressed. They weren't funny stories, either. They were the most embarrassing childhood stories of him told at his expense. The more that were spread around the table, the more irritated Lance got. How many times was a man expected to laugh about that time when he drank dirt and water believing it to be chocolate milk?

So Lance was sulking, staring down at his plate as Allura laughed along with his family. At least she got a kick out of hearing about Lance’s childhood. It did fill him with a small sense of satisfaction when his brother mentioned that Lance’s date with Allura was the only reason that he was sitting at the table with the adults. While that fact alone was humiliating, it would have been even more so if he was sitting at the small table behind him with his twin sister Rachel and his niece and nephew. He loved them, but he would be eternally glad that he didn’t have to sit at the kids table while Allura sat with the adults.

“Hey, speaking of dates,” Veronica said from her seat next to him. Lance glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe you could put in a good word for me with that long haired friend of yours?”

Lance’s mind seemed to short circuit, unable to process Veronica’s request at first before its meaning crashed down on him all at once. He nearly jumped out of his seat.

“What— KEITH!?” He shrieked, eyebrows shooting up as his eyes widened in shock. Keith!? His sister was asking him to see her up with Keith!? “NO! Nononononono no. No way!” He spluttered, waving his hands in front of him. There was no way.

“Oh, why not?” Veronica pressed, a smirk on her lips.

Lance searched for an answer. What was he supposed to say to that? He tried to picture the two of them together in his mind, and, to his surprise, it was incredibly easy to do so. They both had very straightforward personalities. Lance could picture them exchanging smirks, determination glinting in their eyes as they led the ATLAS crew or something similar on a mission. He pictured Keith smiling softly at Veronica, the type of smile that made Lance feel reassured and understood. He pictured the two of them sitting side by side, arms around each other as they watched the sun set over the desert, heads leaning together…

“Just… no, alright?” Lance stammered, feeling his face grow warm for some reason. “That would be weird. You’re my sister and he’s my—” Lance flustered. His… what? Teammate? Co-worker? Friend? Keith was definitely one of Lance’s best friends. They were partners. Keith and Lance, Lance and Keith.

To his relief, Veronica simply shrugged, swirling her champagne. “Whatever,” she drawled, not even a few seconds later getting to her feet and raising her glass. “A toast,” she declared, drawing the room’s attention, “To family. Though we may be apart after tomorrow, we will always remain close at heart. Family is forever.”

The rest of the table raised their classes and a chorus of ‘to family!’ rang throughout the room. Lance smiled fondly around the table, reminded of just how much he loved his family. He may be leaving, but they would be here for him when he got back. He would come back to them.

He turned to Allura to share the sentiment, but the smile fell away from his face when he saw her sitting there, eyes unfocused and staring off into space as her fingers held loosely on to her champagne flute. He felt a pang of guilt, wondering, not for the first time, what it would feel like to be in Allura’s position. It seemed extremely lonely, and Lance couldn’t help but feel bad. He cast his eyes down, trying to think of anything he could do to make Allura feel better. He knew he could never fill the void of her lost family, but any happiness he could provide her with he would gladly give.

After dinner, Lance led Allura out of the house and along a familiar footpath that Lance loved to walk when he was younger. Walking along it now, the path lined with dying trees on either side, Lance couldn’t help but feel like the home of his childhood was slipping out of his reach. He felt his mood drop even further when they reached a point in the path where a large tree sprouted from its center, surrounded by a large circle of cobblestone. Its branches, once alive with an abundance of leaves and filled with the chirps and rustling of small birds, we’re now bare, devoid of any life.

“It used to be so beautiful,” Lance sighed. To his surprise, Allura sighed as well. He glanced over at her to see her staring up at the tree like he had been.

“It’s all my fault that the Galra did this to your home.” She muttered, her voice full of regret.

“What? No! Allura, that isn’t your fault.” Lance protested, “Plus, meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

He watched as Allura made her way over to the large tree, her heels clicking against the stone in the quiet of the night. She reached out her hand, placing it against the rough bark. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but within a matter of seconds an ethereal blue glow emanated from her hand, spreading throughout the tree and through its branches. Lance gasped as the blue light spread beyond the branches, breaking off into leaves until the outline of a tree was illuminated in the darkness, small motes of light floating through the air.

When the light faded, a full and alive tree stood before them, fireflies blinking all around them and casting the path in a warm, cozy light. Flowering bushes bloomed around them, and Lance couldn’t help but acknowledge that this was an incredibly romantic spot and he was glad he brought Allura here. He saw Allura lower her head before lifting it again to gaze up at the revived tree.

“When we were out there, fighting against the galra,” Allura spoke, her voice wistful, “I somehow felt like… like we were a family. Each of us was alone, but we were alone together.”

Lance felt his heart ache for her, because he knew exactly what she was talking about. Countless times while they were in space he had felt incredibly alone, but the thing that kept him hopeful through most of it was that he wasn’t the only one there. He had his best friend Hunk, who had been with him since the Garrison; Pidge with her sarcastic attitude; Keith, who he had come to appreciate throughout their time together; all of them. And Allura, whom he now couldn’t imagine his life without. They were all alone, but they had each other.

“But now here on Earth,” Allura continued, “I see that everyone already has a family and a home to return to once the war is over. Everyone except me.” She bowed her head. “For the first time, I feel uncertain about what my future holds. It’s silly, I used to think that the team relied on me, that I needed to be strong for everyone else, but now I see that it was I that needed all of you.” She turned them to face Lance, her multicolored eyes dancing in the dim light with so much sorrow that it broke Lance’s heart.

“Allura, you are not alone,” Lance said, “And if I have anything to say about it, you never will be. I—” He felt his breath catch in his throat. He knew what he wanted to say, was more sure of it than anything he had ever done before, and he desperately hoped that his feelings would be accepted. “I don’t care that this is only our first date, but…” he took a few steps towards her, taking a deep breath, blue eyes meeting hers, “Allura, I love you. I have for a long time. I want to be your family.” He began to build confidence in his words as he went, “Earth could be your home! Or… or anywhere you wanted to go! I will follow you across the universe.”

Allura looked stunned, eyes wide and lips parted ever so slightly. “You really feel this way?” She asked, and Lance couldn’t fathom how he could feel any differently. He reached out and took her hand, holding it against his chest.

“With all my heart,” he said, and the smile that spread across Allura’s face, small and full of something, only enhanced his love for her. Then, as if by some unknown cue, the two leaned in close, eyes locked on each other until there was no space left between them. When Allura’s lips met his in a sweet, tender kiss, Lance felt like he could fly. Her lips were soft and sweet, and Lance wrapped his arms around her waist, never wanting to let her go.

The robotic beeping of machinery caught Lance’s attention and he reluctantly broke away from Allura, though he kept her encircled in his arms. Out of the bushes came Beezer, his screen displaying a green exclamation point when he spotted the two of them. Both Lance and Allura watched the little robot roll closer to them, making little whirring noises all the while. When he stopped, he made a chirping sound and Lance felt like he knew what the robot wanted.

“Uh, I think he wants us to smile,” he said, turning so that both he and Allura were facing Beezer. The two of them smiled, and a bright flash went off, momentarily blinding him. When Lance blinked away the blind spots, Beezer had printed out a picture for Lance to grab. He held it out for both him and Allura to see, and he felt warmth spread through his chest. The two of them looked good together; happy. This would be the first of many photos of the two of them to come. He looked sideways at Allura to see the soft smile on her face as she studied the photo. He would be her family. He would be her home.

The next couple of months were stressful to say the least, and everyone had a lot on their mind with all of Honerva’s schemes that always seemed to blindsight them. Despite it all, Lance found comfort whenever he was with Allura, and he could tell that she felt the same. It was time that they spent together, just the two of them, that kept Lance optimistic about their future. At times, winning the war seemed like a daunting task that was more imagination than a possibility, but he held out hope.

It was still a shock to Lance when they entered the universe’s consciousness, or whatever it was called. With Honerva kneeling before the six of them, Lance knew that this was the end. Whatever happened here would end the war, for better or for worse. It was almost pitiful to see the Altean kneeling there, trying to explain her actions. The universe was not the perfect place that she was craving, and therefore she wanted to destroy it all.

“There is beauty in flaws,” Allura said, stepping forward towards the witch. “I lost my father, my mother, my planet to this war. But I have gained a new family, and a purpose stronger than any I could have imagined.”

Lance felt a wave of pride watching her, a sense of belonging that tied them, all of them, together. Regardless of who they were before, they were brought together through Voltron. Voltron made them a family, and Lance wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Humans began very flawed,” Pidge added, “There were wars, hate, but with each mistake, they learned and grew.”

“And now we reach out to other worlds to pass on those same lessons and spread them across the entire universe, like your people once did,” Shiro continued.

“And with every new world touched,” Hunk added, “Our message grows.”

“Every world, every reality,” came Keith’s voice from where he stood next to Lance, “We wouldn’t exist without the others.”

“Our differences are what make us stronger,” Lance said lastly, thinking of how each paladin of Voltron is unique, and it’s what binds them together.

“You think your words mean anything to me?” Honerva sneered, glaring up at Allura. “I have lived multiple lifetimes, all of them filled with pain and loss. If I cannot experience the simple joys of life, then why should anyone else?”

Lance frowned and could see the rest of the team do the same. This woman was going to destroy the universe simply because she was not happy. Allura stepped closer, though, reaching out her hands until her fingers were pressed against Honerva’s temples. The witch seemed to freeze and the angry red markings on her cheeks began to glow a pale blue, and then suddenly images were playing against the endless white of their surroundings. With a start, Lance realized that they were memories of when Honerva was younger. When she was simply a woman who loved alchemy and learning about the unknown. The woman in the memories was so drastically different from the haggard woman before them that Lance had difficulty believing that they were the same person.

As the images faded, the marks on Honerva’s face shifted, receding from her cheeks and becoming the standard markings of an Altean. She looked shell shocked, as if she had forgotten about her life when she was younger. After that, new images appeared. To Lance’s displeasure, they depicted moments between Allura and Lotor, whom Lance still despised.

“You tried to help him,” Honerva said, staring longingly at the image of her son, “He deserved better. Better than I could give.”

“Lotor may have been misguided, but he ultimately wanted to preserve life,” Allura said, “Honor your son. Help me change this.”

“I’m sorry,” Honerva said, looking down at her hands that rested on her knees, “But the damage is done. There’s nothing left to save.”

Lance felt a thread of hopelessness, for the first time considering the possibility that they couldn’t save the day this time. That was until Allura spoke up again, never wavering in her confidence.

“I can change the quintessence within your vessel,” she said, “Your son helped me learn how to transform it from a destructive force into a life giving force.” She held out her hand towards the witch. “But I cannot do it alone.”

“But,” Honerva looked from Allura’s outstretched hand to her eyes, confusion clear on her face, “That would require…”

“I know the risks,” was all Allura said, determined as always. Lance felt his heart stutter in his chest. What risks?

Honerva reached up and clasped Allura’s hand, rising to her feet. The two of them just looked at each other for a moment, then Allura turned to face the rest of them. “I’m afraid this is where we part ways.”

Lance’s eyes widened and he could feel the shift throughout the team. Murmurs of confusion and shock broke out as the five of them just stared at her, not quite believing. Allura walked towards them, not quite meeting their eyes, but Lance couldn’t look away from her. What was happening? “It is our only chance to undo what has been done; To save all of existence. I have to take it.” She did look up at them then, but Lance could barely hear what she was saying. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be losing her now.

He watched as she went from paladin to paladin, saying goodbye to first Hunk, then Pidge. Shiro was next, then Keith, who thanked Allura for accepting him for who he was. It was all very heartwarming, but Lance felt like his turn came all too soon. He didn’t want to have to say goodbye. It was all too soon. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. They were all supposed to make it. She couldn’t leave.

“There… there has to be another way,” Lance said, voice rough as Allura held his hands in hers. He lifted his eyes to meet her’s, aware that this was probably the last time he would ever see their multifractal depths, glistening with tears.

“There is no other way,” she said regretfully, lifting her eyes as well, “This is all we have.”

Lance felt tears well up in his eyes, a tremor in his lip as he choked out his words. “You’re… you’re too important to the cause, Allura. You’re too… too important to me.” Tears were running down both their faces now, and Allura bowed her head.

“I’ll always be with you, Lance,” She said, and Lance felt his heart breaking, “And I’ll always love you.”

Then she reached up to cup his cheek and their lips met in a tender kiss, and Lance couldn’t stand it. He poured all he was, all he felt for her into that kiss. Her lips were soft against his and tasted of salt from their shed tears. When she pulled away, his cheeks felt cold in the absence of her hands. He loved her, loved her so much that it hurt, but he had to let her go. He had to put the fate of the universe above his personal wants. He would be strong for her.

A light caught his attention and he looked past Allura through watery eyes. In the distance stood six figures, at first only silhouettes but then Lance recognized them as the first paladins of Voltron as well as Lotor, who stood with his father. Lance clenched his fists tightly at his sides as Allura walked side by side with Honerva towards the figures. At least she was back with her father, Lance thought, although he couldn’t feel happy about that in the slightest. She was leaving. Leaving for good.

A hand fell on his shoulder and Lance startled, head whipping around to see Keith standing beside him, eyes wet with tears and a sad smile on his lips. Lance felt like falling apart, unable to return the sentiment. He just stared at Keith until the black paladin turned back to where Allura had now disappeared into the light along with the others. As he watched the light grow brighter, the weight of Keith’s hand on his shoulder kept Lance grounded. Soon enough, the light was so bright that it drowned out everything else for a painful few moments, and then Lance opened his eyes to see the inside of the red lion again.

“Is this… our reality?” Keith’s voice crackled over the comms.

“Yeah. It is," came Pudge’s reply.

“She did it,” Lance said, his voice breaking, “She saved us all.”

“I don’t remember that planet being there before.”

Lance looked up at Hunk’s comment and almost immediately his breath left him in a gasp. “It’s…” he breathed, “It’s Altea.”

Chapter Text

That night back on the ATLAS, Lance lay on his bed, staring up at the cool metal ceiling. They had been met with cheers when they first returned, but the cries of victory quickly shifted to condolences when they had all heard of the sacrifice Allura had made. Lance knew they meant well, but he couldn’t stand to be around them any longer. It felt like a punch to the gut any time someone walked up to him with a sympathetic frown on their face as they apologized for something they had no control over. His brave defender of the universe facade was starting to crack, all of his strained smiles wearing him down. He just knew that he wouldn’t let it shatter in front of everyone else. No. They didn’t need to see him fall apart.

He knew he should be getting some sleep, but every time Lance closed his eyes he saw Allura walking into the light with Honerva, her resigned smile as she turned away from him, the shine of the new planet that had appeared afterwards. That was another thing. When they had first seen New Altea, Lance had wanted to laugh, and he would have if he weren’t absolutely raw inside. It was painfully ironic that the moment Allura was gone, her people — her home — came back. The place she had longed for since the moment they found her, and she wouldn’t get to experience it. How was Lance supposed to be happy about its appearance when it filled him with bitterness? Was the universe trying to mock his pain? He knew this was a war, that sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, but in the moment, it didn’t feel like they won.

Lance dragged himself out of his bed, finally fed up with sleep evading him. He hauled himself into the bathroom to try and clear his head, splashing his face with water. It didn’t make him feel any better. Not when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. Light blue Altean markings now sat high on his cheekbones, a parting gift from Allura as they shared their final kiss. He traced them with his fingers and he watched his reflection in the mirror as his face screwed up in pain. His vision blurred and he clamped his eyes shut, biting back the fresh wave of tears that was threatening to spill over. He shouldn’t be crying. He had shed more tears today than he probably should have, but he couldn’t help it. He dropped his head into his hands, the sound of his ragged breathing echoing throughout the bathroom. It was too much to bear.

Without even changing into regular clothes, Lance stormed from his room, weaving quickly and quietly through the halls of the ATLAS. He didn’t want to be alone, the weight of his loss too crushing. He could go to Hunk. Hunk was always there for him, and Lance wanted to feel the comforting squeeze of his warm embrace. But Hunk was probably asleep. All of the paladins were exhausted from today’s battle. Lance hesitated. Did he really want to disturb Hunk, or anyone else? They deserved a long rest after today, not to spend their resting hours babysitting Lance while he grieved over Allura. No, Lance didn’t need to bother them now. There would be a better time for him to approach his friends. Now was not it, no matter how much Lance desperately wanted to be embraced by Hunk’s strong arms or to have Pidge’s head on his shoulder. Dark eyes and a kind, sympathetic smile.

With a sigh, Lance spun on his heel, changing directions. Before he knew it, he was stepping into the lions’ hanger and had to stop for a moment as his stomach rolled. Everything reminded Lance of her. She had been gone less than twenty four hours, and he already missed her more than he had ever missed anyone before. He walked up to Red, intending to sit in the comfort of her cockpit until he calmed down, but he stopped, his gaze shifting to Blue. Seeing the lion, sitting tall like always, Lance came over with emotion. This was his strongest connection to Allura now. Their shared experience with Blue was one of the last things he had, and suddenly the blue lion seemed like just the thing he needed right now. He stepped in front of the large metal lion, who’s armor seemed dull like the sea on a stormy day. Lance could almost believe that Blue was mourning Allura just as much as he was.

“Hey, girl,” Lance spoke, his voice ringing throughout the hanger even though his words came out in a hoarse whisper. He placed his hand on her paw, the cool of the metal pleasant under his fingers. “I miss her, too. I just wish-” Lance’s throat closed up and his hand closed into a fist as he struggled, “I just wish that there was another way.”

A deep rumble resonated throughout the hanger and Lance looked up to see the glowing yellow eyes of Blue staring down at him. She knelt, pressing her face up against Lance as he collapsed against her. He knew she would understand. The two of them stayed like that for a while, simply existing in each other's presence without Allura until another pur rolled through the space and Lance felt the warmth of a fire dance across his back. He raised his head to see Red walking towards him, stopping to curl up around him in front of Blue. He felt a strong surge of affection for the two lions. At this moment, Lance felt safe. He felt a sense of stability that had been ripped out from under his feet. He could feel their presence in his mind, the chill of the ocean and the warmth of a fire, each equally soothing. Beyond that, there was the faint awareness of the rest of the lions, although currently dormant.

With the two of them there with him, Lance let the tears he had been fighting down well up in his eyes, finally allowing them an escape. His sobs were silent, bitten back in his throat so they wouldn’t echo through the hanger, but tears streamed down his face, one after another, and he let the lions keep him company. He cried until his tears ran dry, eyes still shut tight. With the subside in his emotions, sleep began to creep around the edges of his mind. All of this sadness was utterly exhausting. He slid down, turning so his back was pressed against Blue, breaths evening out and slowing as he began to doze off. A flare of heat came through Red’s mind bond, like a spark in a fire. It caught Lance’s attention but only lasted for a second, disappearing and making Lance wonder if he had just imagined it. It was peaceful, something that Lance hadn’t been sure he would be able to experience so soon. That was until the sound of the hanger door sliding open startled him awake. Lance groaned internally, not wanting to deal with whoever came in, but his eyes widened in surprise when a familiar mullet came into view from around Red’s paw.

Keith looked like he hadn’t slept a wink either, dark bags beginning to form under his eyes. He had on his usual black T-shirt and pants, not what Lance would consider proper pajamas, but pretty on-par for Keith. When their eyes met, Keith seemed to do a double take, surprised to see Lance sitting there with the lions.

“Lance?” He asked, voice a little rough as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time, “What… what are you doing here?”

Lance pursed his lips, a little disappointed that he had been discovered. He absentmindedly noted that his eyes were probably puffy and bloodshot, puffy from crying, but he really didn’t have much of the energy to care. Instead he just quirked an eyebrow.

“I could ask you the same.” He drawled, trying his best to sound indifferent and not at all like he had just been crying his eyes out.

“I felt Red in my mind,” Keith said, “She was calling me, or something, so I came down here to see what she wanted.”

Lance fixed Red with a half-hearted glare. “I should have known it was you,” he muttered to her.

“Lance… are you alright?” Keith drew Lance’s attention back to him, his face pinched with concern.

Lance pondered for a moment, debating whether or not he wanted to pour out his soul. Deciding that he really didn’t want to cry again, let alone in front of Keith, Lance let a stale smile spread over his face, trying to channel the cocky confidence he was known for.

“Me? I’m fine,” He said, hating the choked up sound of his voice, “Just won a war, remember?”

Lance could tell that Keith didn’t like his response, saw it in the way his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. Maybe Keith would let it go and leave Lance alone.

Unfortunately, Keith was known for his stubbornness.

“You know what I mean.” Keith’s tone indicated no nonsense, but lacked real threat.

Lance pursed his lips. Yes, Lance knew exactly what he meant. That was why he answered what he did. He and Keith were definitely better friends now, with Lance being his right hand and all. They were closer, more honest with each other, but something about bearing his heart and soul to the man didn’t sit right with Lance. The last time he had confided in Keith, it had driven him away. Lance could still remember his guilt over the matter, wondering if Keith would ever come back to them. He didn’t want to lose Keith again. Not so soon after Allura. Not ever.

“I’m not dumb, Lance.” Keith seemed to deflate a little. “I know how much she meant to you. How much you loved her…”

Keith didn’t say her name, Lance noticed. Still, he stiffened, defenses raising around his fragile heart that was pretty much constantly ready to burst apart. “I’m no stranger to loss, so I won’t believe you when you say you’re fine.”

Keith stared him down. It wasn’t menacing or anything, merely a battle of wills to see who would cave first. Lance looked right back, keeping his face as neutral as he could. Keith really wasn’t giving up, and Lance could see the concern creeping around the edges of Keith’s stoic expression. Maybe it was just a look that Lance was used to seeing on Hunk or Pidge, or maybe he had just gotten good at reading Keith’s expressions, but he could tell that Keith was waiting for him to speak. And maybe it was only wishful thinking, Lance’s raw emotions and tired mind, but it looked like Keith wanted to be there for Lance, even if he wasn’t exactly sure how. That thought sent a tremor through Lance’s defenses, and just like that, they began to fall away.

“I…” Lance started, but found that he had no words. What was he supposed to say? There was so much, too much that was going through his mind, but as soon as he had the opportunity to let it out, it wasn’t there. His throat began to burn again.

Without getting an answer, Keith stepped around Red and came over to Lance, sitting down next to him where he was propped against Blue’s paw. He pulled his knees up to his chest and let his head fall back against Blue. Lance just watched him, still trying to figure out how to explain the extent of what he was feeling. Keith’s eyes traveled sideways and they met Lance’s, and Lance saw just how tired Keith was in their indigo depths. He seemed to be thinking about something, a pinch to his dark eyebrows and a contemplative frown tugging at his lips.

“Allura was incredibly important to all of us.” Keith said and just hearing her name out loud ripped through Lance. “She was our family. But to you…” There was a flash of something in Keith’s eyes that was only there for a split second before it disappeared again, “She meant more to you.”

Lance wasn’t quite sure what Keith’s goal was, telling him what he already knew; what he was trying to temporarily forget. He knew Keith wasn’t trying to make him feel bad, they were long past those days, but at the moment it felt like he was rubbing salt in the wound. Lance looked away, training his eyes on the ground in front of him. He couldn’t tell if Keith was waiting for a response, but he opted against giving one. The silence lasted a little while, neither of them saying more. Simply existing in each other’s space as the weight of Allura’s sacrifice hung over them. Eventually, Lance couldn’t stand it anymore.

“I know we were fighting in a war, but I never thought… I never thought we would actually lose anyone.” He whispered, and Lance could feel Keith’s eyes on him. “Sure, we lost Shiro a few times, but he came back. Allura…” Lance choked on her name. “Allura isn’t- She won’t…” Lance couldn’t continue.

“I remember how hard it was for me when I lost Shiro,” Keith hummed, “But you’re right. He did come back. But it didn’t make losing him any easier.” Lance finally looked up at him to see Keith looking wistfully across the hanger, gaze unfocused. “He was, is, my brother, and it killed me every time I thought we lost him.” His eyes found Lance’s again, and there was pain there, clear as day. He was hurting, too. “But I had the rest of you guys to help me through it, even though I was pretty insufferable. You, specifically, were there for me when I wasn’t handling myself the best.” Lance felt the urge to shy away from the intensity Keith exuded, the conviction behind his words almost unbearable, but Lance felt fixed to the spot, unable to look away. “I promise, I’ll be here for you when you need it.” Then, almost as if it were an afterthought, he added, “We all will.”

It never ceased to amaze Lance how much Keith’s words could affect him. He knew Keith meant every word he said. Whatever doubt that Lance had previously had about bothering others with his grief seemed to disappear a little. Lance felt a weary smile spread across his face.

“It’s just… too much right now. I can’t clear my head, and it hurts so much.” Lance sighed.

Keith placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder, the weight more comforting than it probably should be. “It’s going to be tough for a while.”

And it was the strangest feeling to have his racing mind slow to a stop despite everything taking up its space. It may have just been the exhaustion from the day finally getting to him, but Lance seemed to hone in on Keith’s eyes and the earnestness in them. Somehow, Keith’s simple statement made Lance feel leagues better than any of the ‘I’m sorry for your loss’-es he had heard that day, although that could be expected. It seemed as if Lance was anticipating to hear the words “don’t worry, it will get better” and he didn’t know how good it felt to hear Keith’s rough but simple truth.

“Thank… Thank you, Keith.” Lance breathed, hoping he could convey just how much he meant it. He watched as Keith’s gaze softened with a fondness Lance rarely saw. He jostled Lance’s shoulder a little and Lance felt warm with the camaraderie between them.

“Anytime, Lance.”

The ATLAS reached Earth the next day and it felt refreshing to be back home. Lance’s family was waiting for him when he got there and he wasted no time throwing himself into their arms. He would be okay as long as he was with them, he knew that for sure.

It became apparent that, although they had defeated Honerva and saved the universe, the war was far from over. Talks of resuming the coalition effort were brought back and members of the Blade were discussing ways to move the Glara Empire forwards so that a war like this wouldn’t happen again. Then there was New Altea, as it had been named. A meeting was arranged between the Voltron paladins and the royal family of New Altea to discuss forming an alliance, and to no one’s surprise they agreed without much debate.

That dinner had been painful for Lance, seeing all of these Alteans and knowing that Allura should be there with them. She had longed to be on Altea again, and when the opportunity came she wasn’t there. A few times Hunk would catch his eye and send Lance a sympathetic smile and once Lance caught Keith studying him with a worried crease between his brows. It was then that Lance decided that he might as well try to cheer up a bit. He didn’t want to bring the mood down, not during such an important event.

Afterwards, a party was held in the castle to celebrate the beginning of a new era, one of peace and unity. The ATLAS crew all mingled with the Alteans and it was a lovely event. The future looked promising, and everyone deserved some celebration after the stress of the war finally coming to an end. It didn’t sit quite right with Lance, though, and he was having trouble feeling the same carefree joy that the others were expressing.

He escaped to an outside balcony at some point when pretending to enjoy the party became too tiring. Resting his arms against the cool metal of the balcony railing, Lance hung his head with a sigh. He stared wistfully down at the rolling green hills beneath the castle and it brought him back to the day they found the blue lion for the first time. It felt like a lifetime ago, almost as if it occurred in a different timeline. With everything that they had been through with the alternate realities and stuff, Lance wouldn’t be too surprised if it actually had. He tempered the first time he set foot inside the old Altean castle, when they found Allura and Coran in the cryo pods and she fell into his arms. He had only fallen for her more and more after that day…

“Paladin Lance, what are you doing out here all by yourself?” Came a dreamy voice from behind him. Lance jumped, head cracking up at the sudden sound and he spun around to see the New Altean princess standing between the glass double doors, silhouetted by the light from inside.

She was fairly short, with pale skin and shockingly blue hair that was cut in a short bob that framed her face perfectly. Beneath her eyes, purple Altean marks shone dimly in the darkness outside, her crystal clear eyes catching their faint light. She was dressed in the traditional clothes of Altean royalty, much like Allura used to wear. Lance couldn’t look at her for too long. It didn’t feel right.

“Princess,” Lance cleared his throat, “I was simply taking a moment to myself.”

“Oh.” She sounded like that was the answer she had expected. “Mind if I join you.”

Actually, yes I do mind, Lance thought, a little bitterly. Instead shrugged and turned back towards the night. He saw the princess step up beside him out of the corner of his eye and suppressed a frown. Sure, she was a perfectly nice girl, but she felt fake, like a stand-in princess, a replacement, and Lance didn’t like it.

“The juniberries will be blooming soon,” she said excitedly, gazing down at the hills, “Oh, they are just lovely! The most beautiful flower there is, you wouldn’t believe it!”

Lance clenched his fists. He couldn’t do this.

“Excuse me, princess,” he said politely, although his voice sounded strained in his ears. He was already turning towards the castle as she tilted her head to look at him, clearly confused. “I’ve got to…” he fumbled for an excuse, gesturing towards the door, “I’ll see you later.” Then he fled back into the lively ballroom.

He passed countless Alteans and handfuls of Garrison officials as he wove his way through the ballroom. Everywhere he turned he grew more and more overwhelmed. People’s laughs rang through the room and glasses of nunvil were passed around on trays along with food Lance that Lance had seen Hunk try and replicate. Speaking of Hunk, Lance spotted him standing by one of the buffet tables, piling a plate high with all different samples of Altean food. Lance breathed a sigh of relief.

“Huunnk,” Lance drawled, coming up and letting his head fall onto Hunk’s shoulder.

“Lance?” Hunk looked at him while balancing some sort of dumpling on his plate. “What’s up buddy?”

“I can’t be here, Hunk,” He mumbled into his best friend’s shoulder.

Lance felt Hunk tense for a moment before Lance felt him sigh and a large hand was placed on his head, giving it a pat. “I’m sorry, Lance. Are you okay?” Hunk’s voice was soft and Lance just let himself soak in the other’s calm energy for a moment.

“It feels wrong,” He admitted, “I know this is a big step towards our future, but… but I just can’t do this, not right now.”

“Aw, buddy.” Hunk set down his plate, carefully, before wrapping Lance up in a tight embrace. “You know you don’t have to stay. They would all understand if you had to leave.”

Lance patted Hunk’s back and the man loosened his hold, allowing Lance to take a step back. “Yeah, I may do that.” He said, his lips tilting in a tired smile. Hunk looked concerned but didn’t protest.

“Do you want me to walk you back?” Hunk asked.

“No no, that’s alright. I can take care of myself.” Lance tried to reassure Hunk. “I’d rather you enjoy the party. It really does seem like fun.”

“Alright then,” Hunk said, a little skeptically, “I’ll bring you back some of this food. I think you’ll enjoy it whenever you’re feeling up to it.” He gestured to the largely diverse buffet.

Lance chuckled. “Thanks, bud. I’ll see you later.” He called, waving goodbye.

“Hope you feel better, Lance.” Hunk waved back, and this time Lance’s smile reached his eyes.

He made his way to the large doors of the ballroom, intent on heading back to the ATLAS. He was almost there when the sound of someone calling his name caught his attention. He stopped and turned to see Pidge and Keith weaving through the people towards him. Pidge was holding a flute of nunvil, the pink liquid sloshing and fizzing as they walked. Keith followed behind them with some sort of finger sandwich in one hand.

“Enjoying the party?” Pidge asked, their question somehow taking on a more inquisitive tone as they looked him over. Lance fought the urge to fidget under their gaze.

“I was just heading out, actually,” Lance said, a little sheepishly.

This seemed to confirm whatever Pidge had been searching him for. “Here.” They thrust the glass of nunvil in his face, “It tastes like piss, but it makes it easier to have fun.”

“Oh, I think I’ll have to pass,” Lance said, pushing the alcohol back towards them.

“Suit yourself.” They shrugged before taking a large drink. Almost immediately they made a face, cringing at the taste. Lance looked from them to Keith, who was watching Pidge with a frown.

“Well, I’ll see you two later,” Lance said, “Enjoy the party.”

“Here, I’ll walk you back.” Keith had looked up abruptly and was already walking towards Lance.

Lance sighed, barely refraining from rolling his eyes. What was it with his friends? Why didn’t they think he could walk himself back? Lance waved his hands in front of him. “You really don’t have to. I’m fine by myself, and I don’t want to pull you away from the party.”

Keith just gave him an unimpressed look before looking back at Pidge, who was talking with an Altean man and a Garrison officer a few feet away.

“Hey Pidge!” Keith called to them and their head whittled around, face noticeably more flushed than it had been a few seconds ago. “I’m going with Lance. Don’t get too drunk.”

They gave an over dramatic salute, bronze hair bobbing with the action, then they turned back to their conversation. Keith looked at Lance with a faintly amused smirk.

“Did you even hear what I said?” Lance asked, a little affronted.

“I did,” Keith hummed, “I’m choosing to ignore it. Now, come on.”

Lance grumbled on their way but followed Keith anyway. The two of them walked through the halls of the castle in relative silence. It appeared that they both were caught up in the nostalgia of the place. It looked nearly identical to the castle ship that had been their home for multiple years. The cool, Altean night air washed over them as they stepped outside, and Lance stopped for a second just to take in the view again. A little ways away the lights of civilian houses shone like little fireflies, concealed partially by patches of trees. A ways away directly in front of the castle was the docking bay, where the ATLAS was currently docked.

“We’re you enjoying the party?” Lance asked Keith, breaking the silence for the first time as they descended the stone steps that led down to the path that wound through the castle’s front gardens.

“It was fine.” Keith shrugged. “You know I’m not really one for parties. Plus, I was mostly trying to make sure Pidge didn’t drink too much.”

Lance snorted at that. “They’re going to have one killer hangover tomorrow.” He sent a glance back towards the castle, with its accents of soft, blue light that reflected off of the white metal walls. From the inside, the warm light of the party came through the windows accompanied by the muffled sounds of laughter and music. “It really did seem like fun, ” Lance said a little wistfully, “I just couldn’t enjoy it.”

“I know celebrating the end of the war is symbolic,” Keith said, “But it feels too soon to throw a party after everything that happened.”

“Yeah,” Lance hummed in assent, “Just being on this planet is bumming me out.”

“Really?” Keith seemed surprised. “I thought you would have liked to be on New Altea, to be surrounded by what Allura would have called home.”

“That’s why I hate it!” Lance snapped before he could get a handle on his sudden flare of irritation. “ She’s not here with us. How can you expect me to enjoy this?”

“You could have drowned your grief in nunvill like Pidge,” Keith said half heartedly. He was trying to make a joke, Lance understood that, but anger swelled in him.

“Am I a joke to you? Is my grief a joke?” Lance bit out with a sneer. That seemed to catch Keith’s attention.

“What? No!” He said, frowning. “I’m just… trying to lighten the mood a little.”

“Nice try,” Lance seethed.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Keith groaned, dragging a hand through his hair, “I don’t know how to make you feel better.”

“I’m not going to be better! How can I be better?! She’s gone, Keith! What am I supposed to do now?!”

A shadow passed over Keith’s face.

“She wasn’t the only person in your life, Lance. Maybe you forgot, but the rest of us are here, too. Allura gave us this life to live, and it would be a waste to let grief consume us. You haven’t lost everything.”

“Fine! Go back and enjoy the party, go enjoy the life that Allura gave you! I couldn’t care less, but I sure as hell am not letting you tell me how to behave!” Keith’s face fell, the dark replaced with a paleness that stood out in the dark. His eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, searching for words. Too bad Lance didn’t plan on sticking around to hear them. “Goodnight Keith.”

Lance knew he was being unreasonable, but he didn’t care. It had been less than a week since the final battle and Lance had so much to get used to and too much on his mind. He couldn’t deal with this, any of it, right now. He spun around and stalked off towards the ATLAS.

“Lance- shit,” Keith cursed, his hurried footfalls catching up, “Wait!”

“No! I’m done talking to you.”

“Lance!” Keith called after him, but Lance raised his hand, not looking back.

“Goodnight, Keith.”

Chapter Text

Only one more week passed before war recovery was set into motion. Predictably, Keith was sent with Krolia and the Blade back to Daibazaal to help piece together the fallen Galra empire and lead them towards a brighter future. They were the first to leave, and Lance couldn’t help but feel a gaping emptiness as he watched Keith’s shuttle take off through a wormhole. It reminded him too much of when Keith left Voltron to join the Blade the first time. He understood Keith’s desire to get to know about his Glara heritage, but Lance always felt like a rift had formed between the two of them after that, one that had just been sealed. Keith had come back to them, but it wasn’t the same, not completely. Now it felt like Keith was leaving them again, and it stung.

Next were Hunk, Shiro, and Coran, who started their campaign for a United coalition across the universe. Lance had no doubts in their abilities. Shiro was a strong leader, Coran was a born diplomat, and Hunk had a way with people that could be rivaled only by few others. Before they left, Hunk had swept Lance and Pidge into a bone-crushing hug that Left Lance laughing, it seemed, for the first time in weeks.

“Ohh, I’m going to miss you guys!” Hunk’s arms tightened around them. “We’ll come back whenever we can, but I don’t know when that will be.”

“Aw, we’ll miss you, too!” Lance wrapped his arms around Hunk’s broad shoulders as much as he could, returning the embrace.

“You better come visit us.” Pidge buried their face in Hunk’s chest, their own small arms wrapped around Hunk’s torso.

Watching Hunk’s departure was tough. He was off to bring the universe together, and Lance was extremely proud of him. He remembered Hunk from the Garrison, the timid and cautious engineer who threw up whenever he flew. Now he was a leader, a peacemaker, and Lance admired how much he had grown as a person. His best friend truly was amazing.

While Pidge didn’t leave Earth, they spent a lot of time at the Garrison, developing new technologies with Matt and their parents. The last Lance heard from them was that they were building the technology to create sentient robots; artificial humans. Lance had no idea how any of that would work, but Pidge was one of the smartest people he knew, and he had no doubt in his mind that they would succeed.

Unfortunately, with all of the plans to unite the universe after the war, Lance wasn’t quite sure how he fit into it all. Everyone had seemed to go their separate ways, and he didn’t know which direction was right for him. He had hung around the Garrison for a few weeks, helping out where he could, but he felt like he was in the way. He couldn’t throw himself back into piloting like he had before, and it frustrated him. It wasn’t that the Garrison officers didn’t want Lance there. They were all very complimentary and wanted Lance to help out on missions or with cadet training. He had always wanted to be a pilot for the Garrison, it was his dream, but that spark had died now. It would never compare to what he had found with Voltron.

He had always imagined a life after the war with Allura. They would find a home and start a family of their own. They would be happy. But she wasn’t here, and Lance felt a little lost. She had been the one to bring Voltron together; She had given each of them a purpose, a home. Without her, the family Lance had come to love over the past few years seemed to start falling apart, and he didn’t know how to stop it.

It was with these bitter thoughts that he returned to his family in Varadero to find some solace and a break with his family. They were all very understanding, and Lance was grateful. At first, helping out on their family farm had been something his brother had jokingly suggested, but after a long day’s work, Lance was exhausted and filled with a sense of accomplishment. He had done something that day, and it had been able to distract him from his ever troubled mind. From that point on, he threw himself into doing anything and everything there was to do around the farm. He planted crops, harvested them, and fixed tools and fences.

When there were fewer tasks to complete, Lance spent time with his niece and nephew, entertaining them with stories about space and his adventures with Voltron. At first it was painful to bring up such memories, but as time passed Lance found it easier to recall his days with Voltron without conjuring a pit of loneliness and loss. It felt like a weight being lifted slowly off his chest, allowing him to breathe easy again.

The first time Hunk returned between peace meetings, Lance almost wept.

“It’s been forever, Hunk!” Lance whined, throwing himself at Hunk through the open door of his house. Lance hadn’t been expecting a visit from his best friend, but it was more than a pleasant surprise. “I missed you!”

“I missed you, too, Lance!” Hunk said, crushing Lance in a bear hug. Lance smiled into his shoulder. Oh, how he missed his best friend. It was jarring when Hunk suddenly released his hold on him, dropping Lance to the ground. “Dude, where have you been!?”

Lance furrowed his brow. “Uh, I’ve been right here,” he said. Where else?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t heard from you since I left!” Hunk’s expression turned accusatory. “No one has!”

Lance felt the warmth of embarrassment spread across his cheeks. “Uh… well, I’ve been busy. Sorry.” He defended lamely.

“You haven’t picked up a single one of my calls!” Hunk looked affronted, but Lance could see the worry in his eyes. While Hunk was mad, he was also concerned about Lance, and that didn’t make him feel any better. Instead, guilt churned in his gut. He looked away, unable to hold eye contact any longer. Lance tried to respond, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse that sounded valid. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hunk deflate, a sigh escaping him. “Just- we care about you, Lance, and I got worried when we didn’t hear anything.”

Lance could understand that, and he wondered what everyone thought, not having heard from him in a while.

“Yeah,” Lance conceded, steeling himself for Hunk’s look of concern as he looked up again, “I’ll call more. Sorry about that, bud.”

Hunk regarded him for a few more seconds, as if trying to gauge his honesty. It wasn’t long before his face was softening and Lance was being scooped up into another bone crushing hug.

“You better,” Hunk warned, though relief trickled into his voice. Lance wrapped his arms tightly around Hunk’s shoulders, sinking into the embrace again and nodding.

“I promise, don’t worry.” He consoled, and that seemed to satisfy Hunk.

The two of them ate Lunch with Lance’s family before leaving to catch up with each other. Lance got to hear about all of the planets that Hunk visited over the past couple of months, most of which readily agreed to joining the coalition.

“If the officials couldn’t be convinced at first, they came around after eating a delicious meal,” Hunk said with a satisfied chuckle. “Food really does bring people together, you have no idea.”

Lance listened as Hunk recounted different stories from each planet with such pure excitement that Lance found himself smiling along, almost as if he were reliving the events alongside his friend. The more they talked, though, a strange feeling began to settle in Lance’s gut.

Hunk stayed until the following morning, when he declared that they would be going off world again later that day. “Good luck, bud,” Lance said, patting Hunk on the shoulder. “Stay safe out there.”

“You, too.” Hunk smiled back at him. “Oh!” He seemed to remember something. “And you should stop by the Garrison sometime soon. Pidge was complaining about your mysterious absence when I last talked to them. You should go say hi.”

“I will,” Lance said, feeling the guilt resurface for not visiting sooner. With one final embrace, Hunk was off.

Later that night, as he sat beneath the large tree that overlooked their farm from atop a small hill, Lance stared up at the dark sky littered with stars and allowed himself to fully feel the feeling that had been growing in his chest.

Discontent.

It wasn’t that Lance was unhappy, but hearing about all of the things Hunk had been doing for the universe, Lance felt incredibly unfulfilled. All of his friends were off cleaning up the aftermath of the war while he was telling stories to two kids and growing crops. His work suddenly felt extremely insignificant. Who’s fault is that? He thought bitterly. It was always him, it seemed, who couldn’t find a way to contribute. He had felt this way in Voltron when Allura learned to pilot the blue lion. He had felt like an extra. Unneeded. He had gone to the one person he could get an honest opinion from, wondering if his thoughts held any truth to them. Unfortunately, that person was galaxies away.

He knew Keith had said that he would be there if Lance needed him, but it had been months now since the end of the war. What could Keith possibly have to say to help when Lance couldn’t give him anything to work with.

“It would be a waste to let grief consume us,”

Keith’s words came back to him. It seems like that was what everyone had been working towards, moving on, and Lance hadn’t even made an effort to try. He had simply run away from the aftermath of the war, and he wasn’t sure what would happen if he tried to involve himself again.

It felt strange to walk through the metal hallways lit with orange fluorescents again after being away from all this stuff for a little over six months. He got some friendly waves from teachers and generals, and even ran into Ryan and James on their way to lunch. Lance was surprised he still remembered where Pidge’s lab was, and that’s where he found them only minutes later, except they weren’t alone. The moment Lance stepped through the door, Pidge’s head whittled around, hazel eyes widening comically behind their round glasses as they locked on Lance. Their hair had grown a bit since Lance had last seen them, but it was still as wild and untamed as ever.

“Lance!” They cried, dropping whatever it was they were fiddling with and launching themself at him. Lance barely managed to stay upright under the impact.

“Hey,” Lance wheezed as small arms cinched tightly around his waist, “Long time no see.”

“No kidding!” Pidge pulled away suddenly to fix Lance with an accusatory glare. “It’s been months! You were the one who stayed on Earth and you came to visit me last! What’s up with that!?”

“Ah, well…” Lance chuckled nervously, averting his eyes. They immediately found the startled face of none other than the former black paladin himself. He did a double take, caught completely off guard. Lance hadn’t talked to Keith much after the night on New Altea, his jumbled emotions getting in the way of clearing the air between them. He felt bad for snapping at Keith. He knew that Keith had only been trying to help, even if he wasn’t the best at it. But, like always, Lance screwed up and Keith drifted away. Then he left for the Blades, and Lance hadn’t seen him since. Now they were standing in the same room and Lance didn’t know what to do. Tentatively, Lance raised his hand in greeting. Might as well offer a bridge. “Hey Keith.”

“Hi… Lance,” Keith said back, though he seemed a little unsure. Keith was leaning up against one of the countertops in Pidge’s lab, arms crossed casually across his chest as he watched the two of them. He cleared his throat, eyes darting away. “How’ve you been with…” he trailed off, a pinch forming between his eyebrows. “How’ve you been?”

“Living the life,” Lance replied stiffly, feeling a strained smile stretch itself across his lips, “Same old same old, you know.” Lance said, gesturing around without providing a definite answer.

“No, we don’t know, you ass!” Pidge shouted, throwing their arms up, “I’ve seen more of Keith than I have of you!”

And, okay, Lance really wanted to laugh at that because his absence must have been much more of a deal than he thought if Pidge was talking like that. Only, the searching look on Pidge’s face kept him in check. Lance felt like he was one of Pidge’s research projects and they found something they didn’t quite understand. “Oh, well…” Lance rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Just got caught up at work on the farm.”

“Too caught up to come see your friends it seems,” they grumbled.

“You were at the Garrison after I left for Diabazaal,” Keith said, and Lance felt the sudden urge to flee, “A flight instructor, too, right? How come you’re working on a farm now?”

How Keith knew what he had been doing? Lance didn’t even think Keith knew he had been at the Garrison. By the time he had started the job Keith had already been gone.

“It just didn’t feel right,” Lance shrugged, not meeting either of their eyes, “Plus, it’s nice being around my family now that I’m back, and they could use help.” Now, that was only partially true. While he knew they loved having him back, Lance being there meant nothing much for the family business. Sure, his Pop Pop didn’t have to work as many hours, but he had kept the farm going throughout Lance’s time in space, and even before then when he was just a kid at the Garrison.

Keith’s eyes narrowed and Lance swallowed thickly. He was reminded of just how long it had been since he had seen that mop of black hair and dark eyes. His mullet was as atrocious as ever, though it was starting to toe the line, seeing how it had gotten a little longer in the front as well. His shoulders seemed a bit broader, filling out his Blade uniform, and Lance couldn’t help but notice how much Keith appeared to have matured. It was always this way, it seemed. Keith had technically lived two more years than the rest of them while on that space whale or whatever, and it seemed like Lance was forever falling further and further behind him, again and again. Rivalry or no, Lance couldn’t shake the urge to be Keith’s equal no matter how hard he tried to tell himself it wasn’t necessary, or how many times Keith had told him he already was.

“That’s no excuse!” Pidge cried, drawing Lance’s attention back to the moment. He heaved a sigh. They were right. Lance had every opportunity to come visit. He had been isolating himself, and although it made everything a little easier to bear, it wasn’t helping him in any way.

“I know,” Lance relented, “I’m sorry.” He reached out to ruffle their hair affectionately. “I’ll come visit more, I promise.”

“Damn right you will, or I’ll sic Keith on you,” Their tone was dead serious, but this time Lance did laugh. He couldn’t help it.

“Hah! You think I’m scared of Keith?” Lance cast a cocky smirk towards the man in question. “Look at this guy, he can’t be intimidating with a mullet like that!”

Lance watched in delight as Keith bristled, standing straighter and puffing out his chest slightly. Lance wasn’t sure that he was even aware of it.

“You want to say that again?” Keith asked, a challenge in his voice, and while Lance wouldn’t back down, mullet or no mullet, the man was pretty intimidating, always had been, but he wouldn't give Keith the satisfaction.

“You’re right,” Pidge said, looking between Lance and Keith with a bored expression, “Keith would be no good.”

“What do you mean?” Keith demanded, a deadly glare in place. A crow of laughter escaped from Lance.

“Ha! In your face, Keith!”

“I’ll just come after you myself.”

The laughter died on Lance’s tongue when Pidge spoke, their voice even and emotionless. They were staring right at Lance, their eyes shielded from view by the light reflecting off their glasses. He shouldn’t have forgotten that a determined and angry Pidge is ten times worse than Keith could ever be. He honestly began to fear the things they would do if he didn’t start visiting.

“Oookay. I value my life, so I won’t ghost you guys anymore. I swear.” Lance raised his arms slowly in surrender. Any sudden movements might startle the feral beast, and Lance didn’t feel like explaining any injury to his parents. Pidge held two fingers up to their eyes, then pointed them at Lance in an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. Lance gulped.

“Alright then.” Just like that, they were back to normal, walking over to their computer and closing a bunch of windows. “Who wants lunch, because I’m starving.”

Lance caught Keith’s eye and they exchanged raised eyebrows. Keith’s lips quirked into a smirk and something flickered inside of Lance. They used to share conspiratorial looks all the time back in Voltron either when they were in Coalition meetings or listening to Shiro drone on about the mission at the Castle of Lions. The thought filled Lance with what he could only describe as nostalgia, and he felt a smile being pulled out of him.

“So, how long have you been back from the Blade?” Lance asked, as the three of them sat down in the cafeteria, trays full of the new and improved Garrison food.

“I got back late yesterday and came to see Pidge this morning since they were the closest,” He answered, “Though I must say, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you Blades always supposed to…” he waved his fork around as if trying to conjure the concept, “expect the unexpected?”

Keith frowned. “Yes…” he answered cautiously, and rightfully so since Lance’s face broke out in a shit eating grin.

“Oh ho ho, is the mister star student, mister ‘I’m the best’, mister perfect, losing his touch?” Lance drawled, relishing in the way Keith’s expression darkened.

“You know that’s not what it means,” he said, exasperation ringing his words.

“Too afraid to admit defeat, Mullet? Is your age finally getting to you?”

“What does that have to do with— We’re literally the same age!”

“Well technically…” Lance was about to remind Keith about his weird time travel voyage of self discovery on the space whale when Pidge broke his concentration.

“I could have sworn you two had gotten better,” they muttered under their breath, but Lance heard it and he wasn’t going to let them off easy.

“Aww Pidge, clearly you’re misunderstanding the nature of our relationship.” Lance leaned heavily into their side and stretched an arm out across the table to gesture to Keith, who looked like he had swallowed water the wrong way. “Bickering is our thing, y’know? It’s in our nature. Written in the stars. It can’t be changed.” He gazed dramatically up at the ceiling, hand splayed in the air as if he were reaching to the stars.

Pidge looked up at Keith, raising their eyebrows as if waiting for him to refute Lance’s words. Lance grinned when Keith only shrugged, his eyes on his food as he took a bite. “See! Keith gets it!” He held his fist out for Keith to bump, but Keith only stared at it for a moment before looking questioningly at Lance.

If he was being honest, it was always fun to see Keith completely out of his depth, and although Lance would outwardly tease him about his lack of social skills, it was kind of endearing. The perfect Keith Kogane was still human, after all. Well, partially. “Fist bump, man,” Lance said, shaking his waiting hand.

The longer Keith didn’t do anything, the more Lance started to worry. The awkwardness crept back over them, the distance of months and too many light years to count looming between Lance’s outstretched fist and where Keith held his fork over his lunch. Lance flattered. It had been so easy to slip back into the Lance of Voltron, the Lance who wasn’t always staring wistfully off into the distance. Easy to forget that months had passed, and that gaping divide between them suddenly came into view as Keith’s grip tightened on his fork, his jaw clenched. Maybe Lance could go back to how he used to be, but Keith had likely moved on, moved past the war and Voltron, became an even better person. He sure as hell wasn’t tied to the past like Lance was.

He almost drew his hand back, already bracing for the sting of rejection when he felt the light bump of knuckles against his own. Lance looked at his hand where Keith’s met it, then to the man himself, who’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, as if he were trying hard to get it right. His eyes flicked up to meet Lance’s, still hesitant, but a careful smile crept over his face. He pushed his knuckles more firmly against Lances; confident, sure. Lance laughed, a breath of relief escaping him as he smiled at Keith. It had been months, but all it took was both of them to reach out, and it was like no time had passed at all.

“I forgot how weird you two are,” Pidge huffed, shaking their head.

“No, I think it’s just Lance.” Keith smirked, and Lance let his jaw drop in mock outrage.

“It is definitely not just me! That mullet is all you.” Lance shot back.

“You both are insufferable. Now, get up.” Pidge shoved at Lance until he was sitting fully in his own chair again. He squawked as Pidge jabbed their fingers into his side one more time for good measure.

“Hey,” he whined, rubbing his ribs that would probably be bruised now.

A snicker came from across the table and Lance looked up to see Keith watching him, a fond smile hidden half behind his hand. Lance was used to being laughed at by Keith - it was how they worked - but he suddenly found himself dumbfounded. Unlike the tentative smile from before, Keith’s eyes danced with amusement, the upturn of his lips raising his cheeks. Damn Keith had a nice smile. How long has it been since he had seen Keith smile like that? Definitely not since he left after the war, and probably not for a while before that, when the unknown was always lurking around the corner. Not at long as when he left with the Blade the first time, but it left the same hollow feeling in Lance’s chest.

“Keith says that they’re really making progress with the Galra.” Pidge said, bringing Lance out of his thoughts. How long had he been spacing out? “If everything goes to plan, they should become a democracy within another few months, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the idea,” he said, “It’s a lot of political stuff, though, and I needed a break. That’s why I came back here.”

“Well, I’m certainly not complaining,” Pidge said with a big smile.

Keith talked about the Blades and the improvements made on Diabazaal, both political and unrelated. There were a few groups of Galra who were against the idea of peace, but they were getting there.

“They actually have a very interesting culture, but it was suppressed by Zarkon when he was in power. We’re slowly bringing it back,” Keith explained in a way that showed how passionate he was about clearing the Glara’s name and giving them a shot at redemption.

“That’s incredible,” Lance said. You’re incredible is what he meant.

The three of them wandered around the Garrison for a while after that, catching up. As they walked, Pidge told them about her discoveries and improvements throughout their time at the Garrison, working with Matt on their AI creation. There were still quite a few bugs that they needed to work through, but Pidge was happy to confirm their steady progress.

“What have you been up to, Lance?” Pidge asked, swinging their legs back and forth over the open air. Lance sat next to them, sandwiched with Keith on his other side at the edge of the roof that faced the west-bound sun. Lance’s feet drilled where they had been absently tapping the wall below him.

“Well, as I said, I mostly help with repairs around the farm fixing the fences and equipment,” Lance said, thinking of the days he had spent beneath the large oak tree on the hill a little ways from his house, a rag in one hand and a small pile of tools that needed some TLC, “The usual.”

Lance saw Pidge nod their head in acknowledgement and an ugly feeling began to churn in Lance’s gut. What exactly was there to say about life on a farm? It was nowhere near as interesting as advancing in AI research or helping a race recover from milenia of oppression. What other reaction were they supposed to have?

“It sounds like the peace has been good to you,” Keith said, startling Lance into looking up at him. His expression was thoughtful as he gazed down at the deserted landing pads.

“Yeah…” Lance blinked, the doubt in him withering a little as he watched Keith’s profile, “It has.”

They didn’t say anything for a while, sitting together on the roof enjoying each other’s company. Lance would be lying if he said he hadn’t been scared of seeing his friends - his family - again after so long. They were from a time in his life when nothing was certain and danger could be lurking around any corner, and some small part of Lance was scared that all of that fear and uncertainty would come flooding back if he saw them. No matter how many good memories they had made together through Voltron, the longer he spent away from them, the harder it was to remember the good times. Seeing Hunk again, sitting here with Pidge and Keith, Lance realized that he had been wrong. He wished it hadn’t taken him so long to figure that out.

“Lance.” Keith’s voice shook him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see that same worried look in his eyes that had been there whenever he looked at Lance before he left. “Hey, are you alright? You look a little… lost.”

“Huh?” Lance’s brain took a second to catch up. “Oh, no, yeah. I’m fine.” Lance wondered if he sounded convincing. Hopefully he did. “Just thinking.”

Keith hummed, still watching Lance, but he didn’t say more. By the time the sun was starting to set in the sky, Lance decided that it was probably time to head back. The flight was a few hours, so if he left soon he would make it home roughly by sundown.

“You will be coming back to visit soon, right?” Pidge fixed him with an intense stare, and Lance ruffled their hair.

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t leave you to fend for yourself in this harsh, cruel world.” He wrapped an arm around their shoulders and jostled them for good measure.

“Good.” They turned to Keith. “That goes for you, too. Come visit whenever you have the time. I miss you here.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to stop by on my time off.” He smiled at them.

“You bet!” They pumped a fist in the air and backpedaled back towards the building, beaming. “See you around.” With an enthusiastic wave, they dashed back through the doors and disappeared from sight.

Lance turned back to Keith, who was already looking at him.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later,” he said a little awkwardly, holding out his hand for Keith to clasp. “It was nice catching up.”

Keith placed his hand in Lance’s, strong fingers gripping his. “Yeah…” Keith sounded a little unsure, shifting his weight subtly from foot to foot.

Lance wasn’t exactly sure what to do with that, but he lingered a little longer since Keith had a look on his face that had Lance believing he wasn’t quite finished. When Lance was pretty sure Keith was just being Keith, he began to pull his hand away. As Lance had previously thought, though, Keith wasn’t finished. “Actually, Lance.” Keith cleared his throat, and Lance thought he looked a little flustered, but he couldn’t be sure. Clearly there was something on Keith’s mind and he wasn’t going to rush him. “If it’s not too much of an issue, I was wondering if I could stay at your place for a few days?”

Lance blinked. That… Lance wasn’t sure what he had been expecting Keith to say, but that definitely wasn’t it. And since he had always been ever so intelligent, he simply said, “What?”

He watched as Keith suppressed a cringe, but Keith, like always, kept his resolve. When this man put his mind to something, there was very little that could get his stubborn ass to back down. It was something that Lance had always admired about him, even if it got on his nerves from time to time.

“My original plan was to spend a day here at the Garrison with Pidge, and afterwards… afterwards I was going to go visit you.” Keith exhaled, and for some reason Lance was a little taken aback. Of course Keith would visit him, Lance tried to reason with himself; he would be offended if Keith didn’t think of visiting. Yet Lance’s absence from their group, their lives, made him question whether or not they still thought of him. “With what Pidge had said about you just kind of shutting yourself away, I hadn’t expected you to be here today, but you’re here, and it would be a little weird to watch you leave just to turn around and follow you tomorrow…”

Keith was losing momentum and starting to ramble. Lance had trouble recognizing the Keith he remembered in this man. He had always been blunt and to the point, composed or at least confident in his words. But now he seemed unsure, his train of thought evading him. It was something that Lance hadn’t seen before from Keith, but it was something he recognized in himself.

“Of course you’re welcome, Keith,” Lance said, ending Keith’s floundering. He felt Keith’s fingers minutely tighten around his own before they fell away, drawing his attention back to where their hands had still been connected. “Red’s this way. We’ll probably be able to make it back before it’s nightfall.”

“Thank you,” Keith said as they began to walk in the direction of the red lion.

“Anytime.”

The familiar rose-tinted lights of the red lion flickered on as they entered and Lance made his way to the cockpit, Keith not far behind him.

“Wow, it’s been a really long time since I’ve been in one of the lions,” Keith breathed. Lance slid easily into the pilot’s seat and started powering her up while Keith looked around from where he stood beside Lance, a hand absently on the back of the chair.

“I thought Black was with you?” Lance said as the viewing screen came online and displayed the scene of the sun starting to set over the desert.

“He is, but I usually travel with diplomats or members of the Blade on their ships.”

Lance hummed. He really wasn’t one to talk. This was the first time he had taken Red anywhere since the end of the war, and he felt a little guilty about it. Red deserved better. He took a second to stare out at the desert bathed in orange and yellow. It brought a memory to Lance’s mind, comforting but bittersweet.

“This reminds me of our last day on Earth, before we defeated Honerva.” He mused, glancing at Keith from the corner of his eye.

Keith seemed to be startled out of his thoughts, then hummed in agreement. “The sunsets on Diabazaal aren’t quite the same. It’s been a while since I’ve ended a day like this.”

“The sunsets over the desert are something else,” Lance chuckled.

“Yeah. They’re beautiful.”

Lance glanced at Keith once more in time to see his eyes flicker back towards the view in front of them. It could have been the lighting, Satisfied that Red was ready to fly, Lance tilted the controls, bringing Red off the ground.

“You might want to take a seat. The flight’s a few hours.”

“I’ll stand for now,” Keith said after a moment’s contemplation.

“Come on, man. You look tired.” It was true. Lance had noticed it a little throughout the day, but now that they weren’t doing much, he could see the shadows lurking beneath Keith’s eyes.

“It’s nothing, really,” Keith said casually, “I’m used to long hours anyway.”

“You’re off the clock, Keith. There’s no reason not to rest at least a little.” Lance countered. Apparently that was enough of an argument because Keith relented, though not without some grumbling, as he made his way into the hull.

Lance couldn’t help his triumphant smirk. He opened the comms throughout the ship so they had the option of talking, but Lance was pretty sure any conversation wouldn’t last long as he watched Keith start to doze though the screen. See. Lance knew what he was talking about. That man was going to work himself to death without anyone there to stop him.

The silence was fine with Lance. His mind had wandered back to that evening, feeling like it had taken place lifetimes ago. It filled him with nostalgia, but not the bitter kind that always coated his memories of life before the war ended. His thoughts drifted throughout the day, from his conversation with Hunk in the beginning, the harrowing lectures about Altean courtship from Coran, and the date itself of course, but his mind was drawn back time and time again to the view of the sun dropping below flat-topped mountains. Lance was confident that the reason laid in the current, very similar scene displayed in front of him. He heard the echoes of a comforting voice and a soft smile full of encouragement. It twisted something deep in Lance ms chest and he let his gaze drift to the screen where Keith sat, fast asleep with head listing slightly to the side. He knew he missed his Voltron team, but seeing Keith here made him realize that maybe he had been lonelier out on his family farm than he realized.

Chapter Text

Lance powered Red down and flexed his arms, stiff from the long ride. The last rays of sun were just disappearing from the sky, and Lance took a moment to take it all in. The warm light coming from the windows of the house; the small creaks and hisses that came from Red as she settled; the dark of the sky and the pinpricks of stars. Lance stood groggily and wandered back into the hull, where Keith was tucked into the corner of the bench and the wall. His arms were crossed, and although his face was lax with sleep, Lance found it hilarious that even his resting face made him look like he was brooding. Lance poked Keith in the shoulder a few times in an effort to wake him up, and when that did nothing, he took to jostling his arm a bit. Lance watched as the other’s eyes screwed tighter, dark eyebrows furrowing as he made a grunt of annoyance and Lance bit back a smile.

“Wakie wakie, Mullet,” Lance snickered as Keith’s eyes opened slowly, a frown twisting his lips. He looked disgruntled in an oddly adorable way, a thought that Lance didn’t know what to make of.

“Mmm… we’re here?” Keith’s voice was rough from sleep and he stifled a yawn. “How long was I out?”

Lance almost laughed at Keith’s tired voice. The man sounded like he had been knocked out in combat.

“You were asleep almost the whole way.”

“Sorry,” Keith grumbled, “Jet lag.”

“No need to apologize. All that diplomatic stuff must be tiring. I know I’d be exhausted.”

“You would be,” Keith quipped instinctively. Lance scoffed. Keith grinned.

They stepped out of the red lion and stretched, Keith yawning once more and blinking blearily around the front of the property. Lance realized that this was Keith’s first time seeing his family home, and there was a small part of him that wanted to know what Keith thought. He turned to see the other man’s expression, but Keith’s eyes were trained on something behind Lance.

“I didn’t know you had the blue lion, too,” He commented, walking around Lance to give Blue a good once over.

“Yeah, Coran seemed to think she’d like being with a former paladin and not alone in the New Altean castle.”

Unexpectedly, Keith whirled around, staring at Lance indignantly. “What do you mean, former paladin?” He asked accusingly.

“Uh, that I used to be the blue paladin and now I’m the red paladin?” Lance said, because, duh. Nevermind the fact that Voltron wasn’t technically needed anymore, and the paladin’s served little purpose other than themes for cartoons and merchandise. Former Paladin. Unfortunately, that concept was not a new addition to Lance’s thoughts.

Keith faltered, looking like Lance had actually surprised him. “O-oh. Yeah, that makes… that makes a lot of sense.” He cleared his throat, turning away.

“C’mon man, what did you think I meant?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Keith grumbled.

“Whatever you say.”

Keith followed Lance up to the front door. “Mamá!” Lance called into the house once he stepped inside, toeing off his shoes, “I’m home! And Keith’s here!”

He could smell whatever had been made for dinner from the kitchen and made his way in its direction, aware of Keith following close behind him.

“Ah, mijo!” Lance’s mother appeared in the doorway leading to the dining room. “Welcome back! We kept food warm for you.” She then turned to Keith, her smile warm and inviting as it always was, a kind gleam in her eyes. “And Keith! So good to see you again. Please, make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, Mrs. McClain,” Keith said, smiling back. “Sorry for dropping by unannounced.”

“Oh, nonsense. Lance’s friends are always welcome here.”

“Er, thanks.”

Lance found himself watching the exchange with a fond smile on his face. Despite being a big diplomat now, Lance was reminded of the socially awkward teen that he had been when they first met, and it was in moments like these that Lance could see that Keith hadn’t changed as much as it seemed sometimes.

“Keith’s going to be staying for a few days,” Lance said, already grabbing two plates from the cupboard. He was suddenly famished.

“Oh, how lovely,” his mother said, “It’ll take a little bit, but I can fix up the guest room for you.”

“It’s fine, Mamá. It’s late, you don’t have to.” Lance said quickly, knowing how cluttered the guest room was and how much work that would be for his mother.

“Alright then.” She looked between the two of them. “Enjoy your stay, Keith.”

“Thank you, Mrs. McClain,” Keith called after her, but she had already disappeared somewhere.

“Here, have some food.” Lance held a plate out to Keith, which he had filled with a bit of everything that was left waiting for them.

The two of them sat down at the table, empty since the rest of the family had already eaten. Lance could hear his niece and nephew playing somewhere in a different room, their giggles and shrieks audible through the walls. The sounds of lively conversation came from the family room, and Lance decided he would formally introduce Keith to the rest of his family after they ate.

“Your mother’s an excellent cook,” Keith said between mouthfuls, “I’ve missed Earth food.” His plate was almost empty already, and Lance had thought he was a fast eater.

“She’s one of the best,” Lance said lovingly. He never grew tired of the meals his mother made for the family, and knew she enjoyed cooking just at much as they enjoyed eating her food.

Lance led Keith into the family room afterwards and found most of his family there. His parents were sitting on the couch with his brother Luis and his wife as they watched their kids play on the floor with miniature spaceship figurines. Veronica and Marco were sitting on the other sofa while Rachel sat in front of them on the coffee table. When Lance and Keith walked in, Veronica was the first to spot them, a wide smile spreading across her face.

“Welcome back, Lance!” She said, “I see you’ve brought your friend back with you.”

“Yep. For those of you who don’t know, this is Keith.” He gestured to the man in question as he addressed his family. “He’s visiting for a few days before he goes back to Diabazaal.”

Keith was met with a chorus of greetings and ‘nice to meet you’-s. He waved to all of them. The two of them sat on the last sofa, smaller than the other two but still large enough to comfortably fit the both of them. They were almost immediately joined by Rachel, who squished in between Lance and the side of the sofa, pressing him into Keith’s side.

“So you’re the famous black paladin of Voltron?” She asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

“Technically,” Keith answered, “Although I’m working with the Blade right now to help restore order to the Galra empire.”

“Thank you for all of your hard work,” His mother said, his father nodding in agreement.

“You’re welcome.” Keith smiled at them, a little flustered under all the attention, “I’m just glad our efforts are making a difference.”

“How often do you visit Earth?” Rachel asked,curious as ever.

“This is the first time I’ve been back so far, but things are starting to settle a little, so I’ll be able to make more frequent trips back.” He said, and Lance perked up at the thought of being able to see Keith more often. Pidge has been here the entire time, Lance chided himself. How often did you visit them? What makes Keith visiting any different?

“Sounds busy,” Marco chimed in. “Do you miss it?”

“Hm?” Keith raised an eyebrow in question.

“Earth,” Marco clarified.

“Oh, I guess. I grew up here, but most of my family and purpose is in space.” Keith’s eyes flicked to Lance’s for an instant. “But there are still things I miss on Earth, and that makes it worth coming back.”

They were interrupted by an aggressive airplane impersonation as Sylvio suddenly ran around the room with a toy jet in his hand, causing Nadia to giggle hysterically. It took the room’s attention off of Keith and Lance felt him relax minutely beside him.

“You can handle political meetings but get flustered by this?” Lance asks with an amused smirk. Keith frowned at him.

“The Galra are a very straightforward race, and they don’t usually praise me or anything.” He said a little defensively.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you.”

“Tío Keith, Tío Keith!” Sylvio rushed up to him, his fluffy brown hair wild and hanging partially in his eyes. The kid was grinning wide, his missing tooth standing out and only adding to his rowdy appearance. “Do you really fly spaceships like Tío Lance?”

“No! He saves Princess Allura!” Nadia countered, marching up next to her brother. Lance felt his breath still in his lungs when he heard her name, freezing up.

“I do fly spaceships,” Keith said casually, tilting his head as he talked, “But I’ve never saved Allura.” He looked at Lance, and a lance could feel the weight of his gaze on him as he stared blankly between his niece and nephew. He was okay. He was okay. It was just her name. He was okay. He was okay…

Keith nudged his shoulder. “I’ve definitely saved your Tío Lance plenty of times.” He joked, a soft warmth in his eyes that caught Lance’s attention. “And he always had my back.”

“But Tío Lance saved Princess Allura, too!” Nadia frowned.

“Kids, come on. Don’t bother your Tío right now. He’s had a long day.” Lisa called hastily, casting a quick glance at Lance before ushering her children out of the room. “Why don’t you go play planes upstairs?”

Lance took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to collect himself. It was okay. They didn’t know any better, and Lance wasn’t going to get worked up over his niece’s curiosity. If only he had saved Princess Allura.

“Alright, Lance?” Keith asked.

“What? Yeah. Fine.” Lance said, trying his best to relax back into the couch. He opened his eyes to find Keith still watching him, merely concerned. “Seriously man. Don’t worry about it.”

Keith only hummed before turning back to the rest of the room, observing Lance’s family, and eventually joining in with their conversation. That’s how they spend the rest of the evening, telling stories of their days and weeks, funny moments and upcoming events. Despite his initial awkwardness, Keith got on quite well with Lance’s family, and Lance was a little surprised to note how seamlessly Keith fit into this picture. Lance watched them with a sort of awe, a feeling building in his chest. It was strange, Lance thought, how normal this felt. That in and of itself eased Lance’s mind a little.

His parents retired to bed first, followed by Luis and Lisa. Rachel moved to sprawl out on the now vacant couch, scrolling through her phone absentmindedly. Lance and Keith talked about little things; what it was like to live on Diabazaal, the food there, how different Lance’s life on the farm was from space.

“Have you ever thought of going back?” Keith asked him, and Lance felt the smile slip off his face. His mind quickly shuffled all of the scenarios in which he possibly could, but it was no use. His answer was already no, but he didn’t want to tell Keith that. He hadn’t told anyone strictly that he wasn’t going back to space, and somehow saying the words out loud seemed more final. Even if Lance was pretty sure that was what he wanted.

He opened his mouth to try and weave his answer with pretty words, but was saved from having to answer when Veronica sat on the arm of the couch beside Lance.

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other,” she said, resting an arm on Lance’s shoulder, “It’s good to see you again, Keith.”

“Likewise,” Keith said back, “How have things been at the Garrison?”

“Oh, they’re just fine. There’s lots more work to do regarding our relationships with outside planets, but I’m sure you hear quite a bit from your friend there,” Veronica answered and Keith huffed a laugh.

“Nah, Pidge mostly talks about their progress in the robotics field. They probably don’t pay all that much attention to the rest of it.”

“You’d be surprised,” Veronica hummed, “Speaking of, how are the Galra in the Blade? Got any new friends?”

“All of the Blades are pretty nice, though they’re very… soldier-like.” Keith looked like he was pondering and Lance watched.

He was actually curious about the people Keith spent his time with. He… didn’t know a lot about what Keith had been doing these past months, and he felt that familiar stab of guilt. Some friend he was.

“I’m not sure if I’d consider any of them friends, but I get along with a lot of them. I think they just see me as their commanding officer though,” Keith chuckled, though Lance thought he saw a slight wince.

“What about that girl Acxa? Is she still there?”

“Uh, yeah.” Keith looked a little taken aback. “I see her around every once and a while.”

“Is she… how is she?” Veronica asked, and Lance watched as her natural confidence began to slip a little.

“She’s been-”

“Oooh, is someone interested in a certain Galra general?” Lance cooed, turning and wiggling his eyebrows at Veronica, who’s cheeks were now visibly pink.

“She was good company on the ATLAS during the last months of the war, and I’d like to know if she’s doing okay.” Veronica said with decidedly more poise than Lance would have expected.

He had forgotten that Veronica and Acxa got along, and after all this time, he had forgotten about Lotor’s general who switched sides.

“She’s doing just fine, Veronica,” Keith broke in, answering her original question, “I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”

Veronica smiled at him, elated. “If it’s not too much trouble, could you pass along a message for me when you see her again?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Keith said and Veronica motioned ‘one second’ before getting up and leaving the room.

She came back a few moments later with a piece of paper neatly folded, which she handed to Keith and reclaimed her spot on the armrest.

“Thank you, Keith,” she said, smiling.

“No problem.” Keith returned the sentiment.

“Now, how about you?” A playful glint appeared in Veronica’s eyes and Lance felt his hairs rise. That was a look to be wary of. “Anyone special in your life at the moment?”

“Veronica!” Lance squawked, probably a little too loud for this time of night. He never could understand just how fast Veronica’s mood could change, and it was one of her many skills that scared him.

Both Rachel and Marco promptly squashed him from across the room and he snapped his mouth shut. He could still feel the look of shock on his face.

To his surprise, the question only caused Keith to let out a laugh, which had Lance’s face growing warm with embarrassment. “It’s fine, Lance. Your sister is certainly not the first to ask me that. And to answer your question: no, I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Can I interest you in a date sometime then?” Veronica asked.

“Weren’t you just asking about Acxa?”

“Oh calm down, Lance. I’d really like to hear from Acxa again, but I’ve been taught to never pass up an opportunity. So,” she turned back to Keith, “what do you say?”

Once again Lance’s mind flooded with thoughts about a relationship between Keith and his sister. Lance wouldn’t be shocked if Keith found her interesting, and of course Veronica found Keith attractive. Damn, probably over half of the universe did. Just… something about it bothered him. One of his best friends and his sister. He had seen countless movies and shows in which the protagonist was extremely happy with these types of pairings, but… Lance couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t right.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.” Keith said, sounding apologetic, and Lance’s jaw dropped. He was already out of his depths in this conversation, and apparently he couldn’t decide how to react.

“You’re turning down my sister?” Lance’s voice raised higher than he intended, and with a bit of incredulity that he didn’t really understand. Keith looked just as surprised at his outburst as he felt.

“Er, I didn’t think that would bother you. I’m not interested, though.”

“Yeah, come on Lance.” Veronica smirked, lightly slugging him in the shoulder. “Grow up.” Lance frowned, resigned to the fact that he would not be winning this.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Lance grumbled, and Veronica smiled fondly down at him.

And that was the truth. He didn’t really care who his siblings dated, just as long as they were good to them. This conversation had just quickly flipped on its head, and Lance didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, instead just saying whatever to try and regain some of his composure. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to be working.

“He’s so easy to rile up.” Lance could hear Veronica say to Keith over his head. He frowned.

Keith snorted and Lance didn’t have to look up to see the amused smile on his face. “Don’t I know it.”

“Well, this guy’s no better,” Lance said, just for the sake of it.

“Oh, Lance. One day you’ll learn to just accept it.” She patted his shoulder then ruffled his hair. “But on that note, I’ll see you two tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Night, Ronny,” Lance said, still pouting. Rachel called her good nights and Marco had gone off somewhere, probably to bed.

“We should probably head up, too,” Lance said, standing and arching his back into a stretch. It was getting late. “This guy needs his beauty rest.”

“Of course you do,” Keith said, rolling his eyes, and Lance was surprised to hear a hint of fondness in his words.

“Hey, can I borrow a set of pajamas?” Keith asked as they stepped into Lance’s room.

“What do you even wear out there?” Lance asked, letting his eyes trail over the Blade suit that Keith was wearing. It just dawned on him that Keith hadn’t brought a bag with him.

“This suit, mostly. There’s not much need for anything else,” Keith answered, shifting his weight as if he was trying not to fidget.

Lance tsk’ed in disappointment, but he was already stepping up to his dresser to look around. “Why am I not surprised,” Lance muttered fondly, “What do you want?”

“Just some sweats and a T-shirt will be fine.”

Lance tossed him one of his plain T-shirts and a pair of sweats that Rachel had bought for him that had little Voltron lions printed on them. He watched as Keith looked down at the sweats, an amused tilt to his lips.

“You have Voltron merch?” He asked.

Lance scoffed. “You don’t?”

“… I never said that.”

That had the two of them laughing before Keith disappeared into the bathroom to change, followed by Lance when Keith came back. Keith was sitting on the edge of the bed when Lance returned, looking thoughtfully around the room. His expression didn’t give much away about what he was thinking, a fact that had Lance wondering if Keith would find any part of it strange or childish. His collection of small action figures were all standing at attention on top of his desk, all from a science fiction franchise he had loved as a kid. A variety of pictures and posters were haphazardly taped to the back of his door, overlapping and at odd angles. A guitar sat in the corner of his room, shut away in its black case, dulled by the dust it had collected. Then there were the glow in the dark stars all over his ceiling, and although they didn’t look like much in the daylight, he loved how they made his room look in the dark. But what did Keith think of it all?

Finally acknowledging Lance’s presence in the doorway, Keith looked at him. “You know, your room doesn’t look like I thought it would, but it suits you,” He said, letting his gaze now pass obviously over the room.

“What did you expect?” Lance found himself asking.

“I’m not actually sure.” Keith’s gaze lingered on a collection of framed photos on his wall, most of them capturing him and his family when he was younger, but there was one he had gotten from Coran of the five paladins when they were still new to Voltron, eyes bright with adventure and smiles that were not yet burdened by war. It was one of the only reminders of Voltron he kept out in the open. “I thought there would be more… stuff from space. Maybe more of Allura.” Keith’s brow furrowed as he said it as if he weren’t satisfied with his words.

“What, like a shrine? A memorial?” Lance asked snidely.

“Anything, really. You seem like the type to keep mementos.”

It was true, Lance often loved to keep little pieces of places he’s been or people he’s grown close to, but it was the same as his distance from space. No, all of that was tucked away out of sight in a large, cardboard box he had not dared to open. Even in the box, there was shockingly little of Allura. He hadn’t had many of her things to begin with, but he hadn’t wanted to deal with it.

“You saw what happened earlier,” Lance said bitterly, thinking back to the way he had frozen at the mention of her name. “I don’t know how I’d handle being reminded of her every day. This is just easier.”

He could feel Keith’s stare trying to bore its way into his mind, as if he could figure out what Lance was thinking if he was determined enough. Luckily for Lance, he was pretty sure telepathy was still a thing of fiction. Unsure of how to move forward from here, Lance moved over to the window across the room, opening it a little to let in the night breeze. The sound of bed springs came from behind him as Keith stood.

“Do you have a sleeping bag I can borrow?” Keith asked, and Lance turned to see him standing a little awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Lance raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I’m not making you sleep on the floor.”

“Oh.” Keith looked like he was trying to solve a complicated puzzle. “Where do you want me to sleep then?”

Lance walked over to his bed, crouching down in front of it. “Behold,” he said with a flourish that didn’t feel as enthusiastic as it should have. He pulled the handle and brought another bed into the room, this one low to the ground. “A trundle!”

It was already made up with sheets and blankets, but Lance took them off and shook them out anyway because they hadn’t been used in a while. Who knew what had been hiding in there? He shuddered at the thought of a spider appearing and crawling over Keith’s face as he slept. That thought helped chase away Lance’s souring mood.

Remade and spider-free, Lance gestured to the second bed. “You can sleep there. It’s a hell of a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the floor.”

“Your floor would be much more comfortable than many of the places I’ve had to sleep.” Keith said. Lance swore he was arguing just for the sake of it.

“This just goes to show how low your standards are. I’m here to bump them up a notch.” Lance said proudly.

Keith grumbled to himself some more, but it looked like he was fighting back a smile, and that coaxed one to Lance’s face, too. He stepped over the trundle and flopped down into his bed, letting a sigh of contentment escape him.

Keith sat down on the mattress and a silence lapsed over them, not awkward, but a little strained.

“I didn’t know your sister was bi,” Keith commented, clearly trying to break the ice.

“Only the best of us are.” Lance smirked. “Although all of my family is pretty great, so I take it back.”

Keith raised his eyebrows again. “You said ‘us’. You’re bi, too?” He asked.

“Oh.” Had Lance really gotten through… however many years they spent in space together without ever revealing that he was bi? “Yeah, I am. I didn’t realize you didn’t know that.”

“To be completely honest, Lance, I don’t think any of us knew you were bi,” Keith said, “With all the flirting you did with alien girls, it seemed pretty obvious that you were straight.”

“Well, Mullet, looks can be deceiving.”

“I’ve known you for a while, Lance, and I’m being completely honest when I say you don’t really do ‘deceit’.” Keith looked unimpressed and Lance pursed his lips.

“While that is true, the fact still remains that you didn’t know, so that means I’m not all that bad at it.” Lance raised an eyebrow.

Keith frowned. “Were… you trying to hide it from us?”

Lance’s eyes widened and he immediately sat up. “No! No no no, not at all!” Lance rushed to say. “It just… never came up, and I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Keith didn’t look convinced. Lance heaved a sigh. “Seriously, man. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. I promise.” He held Keith’s gaze for a long moment, until Keith seemed to accept that. “And why is it so important? I mean, I only knew Shiro was into guys when he told us about Adam. Otherwise? I wouldn’t have had any clue. For all I know, you could be into guys, too.”

“I… I am.” Keith pursed his lips, a flush rising to his cheeks and coloring his face in a pretty pink. “Into guys.”

“See? I didn’t know that. Now we’ve learned a bit more about each other.” Lance smirked, pleased with the pout on Keith’s face. “This is what happens when you talk to people. You find stuff out.” He grabbed a ball of socks on his bed and tossed them at the light switch. Just like that, the room went dark. Lance may have done it because of his exhaustion. He really did it because Keith couldn’t see him clearly in the dark. Veiled from his view, Lance could take a moment to process that.

Keith was into guys. Lance didn’t know what he had thought before, but it felt like Keith had confirmed something that Lance had already believed. Keith was into guys. Why was he fixating on this? It didn’t matter to him who Keith liked. Hell, Lance would be one to talk.

With the lights off and the both of them settled, Lance found that he felt truly happy for one of the first times since the war. He was glad he went to visit Pidge today. It had been too long without their snarky comments and sarcastic personality. He was also glad Keith had been there, and now he was here, with Lance. The only two Lance had yet to see were Shiro and Coran, and he actually pondered ways he could make that happen.

They were in space, though. Neither of them had come back to earth since the end of the war, and it didn’t seem like they would anytime soon. So, Lance’s only option really seemed like going back there. He didn’t want to. He didn’t…

There was an ache in his chest whenever he looked up at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling, or the sky at night when he could see the real constellations. It was a strange feeling to know that he had been somewhere up there, his childhood dream came true, and now he was staring up at them from the very same place he had wanted to get away from to begin with. Life with his family had seemed too boring, too uneventful when he was a young teen, but he had come back to it willingly. But he did, he did miss space. He knew it, deep down. Not the being-at-war part, but the adventure, the new experiences, the sheer awe of it, and the people he had met along the way.

But he could still see her smile, the multicolored depths of her eyes when they sought his from across the comms or in busy meeting rooms. He still heard the melody of her voice calling his name when she needed support. Then there were the bright purples of the Galra ships and the feeling of drifting aimlessly through space that haunted his nightmares. It was so much easier to endure it all when there was no other place to go, but now that he was safe, now that he was home, he didn’t want those constant reminders filling his mind all the time.

No. Not now. Not yet.

Chapter Text

Lance awoke to the first rays of sunlight starting to peek through his curtains. He stretched his arms above his head and laid there for a moment or so, allowing himself to wake up fully. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, Lance almost stood up when he felt the soft squish of a mattress and blankets beneath his feet and nearly jumped in surprise. Right. Keith was here. Lance quickly retracted his feet in case he stepped on the guy, but a quick glance at the balled up sheets revealed that Keith was already up. Lance was a little relieved that he hadn’t just kicked the guy, but that also begged the question: where was Keith?

The smell of breakfast came from the kitchen and Lance walked in to find his mother already cooking away. He planted a kiss on her cheek with a ‘good morning’, which she returned with a smile.

“Have you seen Keith?” Lance asked after stealing a taste of the food in progress.

“Oh, he’s outside talking to Luis and Lisa,” his mother replied, a loud sizzle starting up from the pan.

“Thanks,” Lance said and made his way to the door.

Through the screen, Lance could see Luis and Lisa sitting side by side on the porch swing while Keith leaned up against the side of the house like he used to when they were on the castle ship. Lance snorted, though no one heard. Out past the porch and across the field that stretched about an acre, Lance could see the ocean glittering in the young rays of the early morning, the white sand currently a dull blue in the dark that still lingered from the night.

“And here I thought I got up early,” Lance said, waltzing out to, following with a greeting to his brother and sister-in-law.

“Good morning to you too, Lance,” Keith chuckled, “I’ll have to admit, I didn’t expect you to be awake for another few hours.”

“Work on the farm starts early and it’s not going to wait for me,” Lance said, raising an eyebrow to Keith in challenge.

“Doesn’t sound like the Lance I know,” Keith said.

“Hah, you’d be surprised.”

“Good morning, everyone,” Lance’s father’s voice came from behind him and Lance turned to see the man walking up to the porch.

A chorus of “morning dad”s came from the resting of them accompanied by Keith’s “good morning, Mr. McClain”.

“Oh, Lance. Feel free to spend the day with Keith. You always do so much around here, it’s good to have a day off once in a while.” His father said, and Lance smiled.

“Thanks, Pop-pop,” Lance said with a smile, slinging an arm over the man’s shoulders in a hug. Just then, Lance’s mother called from in the kitchen that breakfast was ready and they all filtered inside.

As everyone ate, Rachel announced that she would be taking Nadia and Sylvio down to the beach for a while and Veronica volunteered to go with them. Rachel turned her attention to Lance.

“Do you and your friend want to tag along?” She asked. Lance began to nod, wanting to show Keith where he spent so much of his time throughout his life.

“We’ll drop by later,” Keith said to Lance’s surprise as well as Rachel’s.

“Alright then, we’ll see you there in a bit.” Lance decided to go with it. Keith was the guest after all, and honestly Lance was a little curious of what Keith had in mind.

“Who turns down a trip to the beach?” Lance heard Rachel mutter under her breath as she walked away.

The rest of breakfast passed in cheerful small talk about the day ahead and different things. It was nearing the end of summer, so the days weren’t as hot anymore and the sunsets were becoming more vibrant as clouds began to drift more frequently through the sky.

“So, what did you want to do while you’re here?” Lance asked Keith as they stepped outside afterwards.

“I wanted to see what you do here. What does ‘working on a farm’ look like?” Keith answered, and Lance frowned.

“Really? You want to see me milk Kaltenecker and fix some tools instead of going down to the beach?” Lance asked. Something he said had obviously piqued Keith’s interest, because his eyebrows disappeared behind his bangs. Lance frowned. “What?”

“You still have Kaltenecker?” He asked.

“Er, yeah.” Was a cow really that interesting? Apparently so. “Okay, so you really want to be shown around the farm?”

“Yes,” Keith said, sure as ever.

Lance didn’t really understand it, but he couldn’t deny that he felt a small bit of pride bloom in his chest. He was proud of the work he did on his farm, and it felt nice to have someone take an interest in his work.

“Alrighty then. Follow me.”

Lance led Keith to the barn first. It wasn’t large because it only housed Kaltenecker, but their chickens sometimes roamed in and out during the day. Kaltenecker was standing in her pen idly, staring off into space as she often did. “Hey girl!” Lance called out to her as he approached, grabbing a pitchfork and shoveling some alfalfa into her trough. She gave a ‘moo’ of appreciation and bent down to begin eating, and although she didn’t look it, Lance could tell she was happy.

“So I normally start off the day with milking her,” Lance explained as he brought over the stool and bucket, opening her pen and setting up. Keith stepped up beside him, laying a hand on Kaltenecker’s side. “It’s not much, but she does make the best milkshakes.” Lance said with the flourish he talked with so often. “Well, Hunk made the best milkshakes, but it’s her milk, so…”

“I’ll have to try one, then,” Keith said, scratching Kaltenecker’s side.

“Wait, you didn’t have one on the castleship?” Lance asked. Keith had been there, right? That was before the Blade, wasn’t it?

“I don’t remember it,” Keith said a little solemnly, confirming Lance’s suspicions. Lance frowned up at him, but then wiped it away to be replaced with a playful smile.

“Well, I’ll just have to show off my mad milkshake making skills and fix you one when we’re done here,” Lance said, his signature smirk finding its home on his lips once again. With that, he set up the pale and began to milk her.

“To be completely honest, it’s still a little shocking to me that you work on a farm,” Keith said, “With how dedicated you are to your personal hygiene.”

Lance laughed. “Says the angsty emo turned intergalactic diplomat,” he teased, though there might have been a little bit of admiration in there.

About half way through, Lance stopped and twisted so he was facing Keith again. “Do you want to try?”

Keith’s eyes widened. “What? No, it’s fine.”

“Come ooon, Keith!” Lance whined, a playful smirk tugging at his lips, “You came for the real farm experience, you’re gonna get the real farm experience.”

“I’m alright.” Keith raised his hand and took a step back, though Lance could see amusement in the tilt of his lips as well.

“Nope.” Lance reached out to grab Keith’s hand and yank him back. “Come on, get over here. This was your idea, anyway.”

Lance stood swiftly from the stool before plopping Keith down in his place. Keith looked like he wasn’t sure what was happening and his hands were hovering in the air, as if he weren’t sure what to do with them.

“What do I do?” Keith asked, uncertain.

“You were watching me! I bet you can get the hang of it.” Lance instructed, and he watched as Keith hesitantly lowered his hands into position and tried to copy what Lance had done.

He gripped the teats gently and tried to mimic Lance’s actions, but all that earned him was a feeble squirt of milk. Lance suppressed a smile as Keith frowned down at the ripple in the milk bucket before trying again with the same result.

“I…” Keith floundered, looking up at Lance with a helpless sort of look, and Lance was tempted to call him adorable.

“Not so sure of yourself, Mullet?” Lance smirked. Keith just scowled, and Lance decided to take some mercy on him. “Here, let me show you.”

He crouched down next to the stool with Keith, sidling up next to him to be able to help from the best angle. “So you want to grab the teat like this…” Lance cupped his hand around Keith, leading him through the process. Keith seemed to get the hang of it, though a crease of concentration remained between his eyebrows as he studied the process intently. Lance pulled his hand away to let Keith try by himself, but his success was short-lived.

“Yeah, I think I’ll leave the cow milking to you.” Keith stood, brushing his hand on his pants.

“Still convinced that I’d be better off in space?” Lance said, taking a seat on the stool again to finish milking Kaltenecker. When Keith didn’t answer, Lance looked up at him to see a conflicted expression souring his face, indigo eyes seeming to stare through Lance. “Just joking. You don’t have to answer that.”

“This tree has been here since I was a kid,” Lance said, gesturing wide with his arms to the branches that sprawled over the hilltop, casting shade over the wildflower-riddled grass. “Me and this ol’ tree go waaaaay back.”

Lance smiled widely at Keith, who was chuckling at his dramatics. It was around noon now, and Lance had led Keith up to this hill to get out of the sun even though it was late autumn now. Soon, Lance’s mother would be calling everyone in for lunch, and what better way to pass the remaining time than chill here for a while.

“So it seems like you’ve been keeping yourself busy here,” Keith commented, leaning up against the tree’s trunk. Lance was about to make a comment about Keith’s not-so-subtle hinting, but the other continued first. “I didn’t think there was much to do around here.”

“You underestimate the life of a simple farmer, Mullet.” Lance sighed dramatically. “There are tons of things to do.”

Lance flopped onto the grass, limbs spread in all directions as he stared up into the thick mess of leaves above him.

“It’s amazing how close to the ocean you are,” Keith mused and Lance let his head fall to the side so he could see the blue water sparkling in the afternoon sun out past the rest of the field.

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, “It’s one of the things I love most about this place.”

“I haven’t… I’ve never been to the ocean before,” Keith admitted, ducking his head. Lance’s mouth fell open.

“No!” He gasped, scrambling to his feet. “Keith! What- wha- how?” Lance cried, astonished. “You’ve never been to the ocean!?”

A self-conscious flush settled on Keith’s cheeks, but he met Lance’s flabbergasted stare with a sheepish sort of look.

“I grew up in the desert, remember? There’s not a whole lot of ocean there,” Keith said, which did make sense, but still! They had been to space, been to other planets, but Keith had never been to the ocean!

“Well then, we’ll have to fix that.” Lance stepped up next to Keith with a determined gleam in his eyes. “I’m taking you down to the beach and you’re going to get the whole experience! Come on!” Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist and began to tug him down the hill.

“Lance!” Keith yelped in surprise and Lance felt a big, goofy smile spread across his face. “Didn’t you say your mom was making lunch?”

“Her breakfasts are enough to keep you fed until dinner. Now stop dragging your feet!” Lance called, tightening his grip on Keith’s wrist and pulling him forward until he was right beside Lance, though he was almost tripping over his own feet. Lance barked out a laugh. “I thought members of the Blade were supposed to be agile.”

“Shut up,” Keith growled, which conjured another laugh from Lance.

Lance led them to the path that led to the beach and felt elation bubble through him as the sand started to pull at his feet, as if urging him to slow down and enjoy the walk. Lance didn’t oblige, though. He kept running with Keith at his side until the ocean was stretched out before them. Once they were there, Lance stopped abruptly, planting his feet in the sand and breathing in the salty air. He realized he was still holding Keith’s wrist and he let it go.

“Behold!” Lance exclaimed with a flourish as he held his arms out wide as if to encompass the entire beach before them. "Varadero beach! Ah, I could never get tired of this view.”

Lance let out a sigh of contentment and let his eyes wander to Keith, who was looking out over the beach with a mistified look on his face. Lance couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Lance could only stand there for a few more seconds before shucking off his shoes and socks and digging his toes into the sand. He rolled up the legs of his pants just above his knees and looked up to see Keith, who watched him with a perplexed look on his face. Lance could only chuckle.

“Don’t tell me you were planning on keeping your shoes on,” Lance teased, taking a few steps back towards the ocean. He watched as Keith methodically unzipped his boots, taking them off one by one and removing his socks in the same manner. Of course.

“Now what?” Keith asked, stepping up next to Lance.

“We have fun!” Lance said with a grin before back-peddling into the surf. His feet and calves were engulfed by the cool water, not too cold, but definitely not warm either.

Keith followed him up to the water’s edge before coming to a stop, staring down at the ocean threatening to touch his toes. He looked hesitant to get any closer.

“Um…” Keith licked his lips - subconsciously, it seemed - studying the water.

“What, is this another Galra thing or are you just scared of the water?”

Keith’s head whipped up and he fixed Lance with an affronted look, but Lance was already reaching towards him and grabbing his wrists again. Before Keith could protest, Lance was dragging him into the ocean.

“Lance!” Keith shouted, stumbling as the waves pulled at his legs. The look of horror on his face was priceless and a loud, boisterous laugh bubbled up from Lance’s gut. “Lance, you ass!”

“It’s just water, Keith,” Lance said, splashing Keith a bit with his foot, drenching the bottom half of his shirt.

Lance heard him inhale sharply, and suddenly there was a strong shove to his chest and Lance was enveloped by a wave before he even realized he was falling. He gasped on instinct, getting half a mouthful of grit along with it. “Hey!” He spluttered, blinking the salt out of his eyes, “That was completely uncalled for!”

He looked up at Keith, who was laughing over him, arms clutching his stomach as his shoulders shook. His wild black hair was hanging around his face, drops of water trapped in the strands, making it sparkle in the sun. Lance wanted to pout, but he couldn’t fight his smile. This was the most fun he had had in a while. “Yeah, yeah,” Lance drawled, tilting his head along to his words and rolling his eyes. “Laugh it up.”

Lance took this opportunity to try and kick at Keith’s legs, hoping to get him to fall as well. Unfortunately, Keith’s reflexes were still as sharp as ever. He easily sidestepped Lance’s attempt and looked down at him with a mocking look of pity.

“Thought you could catch me off guard?” He asked, looking down over Lance. “Might I remind you how difficult that is?”

“Nah, I’m alright.” Lance shrugged, getting to his feet with an air of nonchalance. “I see Balde training is doing you well.”

“Gotta be prepared for anything at all times—”

Lance cut him off with a full body lunge, diving straight at Keith. To his credit, Keith blocked him instantly, but the water logged sand and the pull of the ocean threw him off balance and the two of them stumbled backwards. Lance righted himself just as Keith fell back, upper body disappearing completely beneath the gritty water. When Keith’s face broke the surface, his mane of inky black hair, now drenched and filled with sand, hung in front of his face and stuck to his skin. Lance couldn’t see Keith’s eyes behind it but he could picture the glare he was sending Lance right now.

“What was that you were saying, hmm?” Lance hummed.

“You’ll pay for that,” Keith growled. Lance had no doubt about that, but the threat fell flat, ruined by Keith’s smirk.

He flicked his head back to clear the hair from in front of his face, and when his eyes met Lance’s again there was that familiar fire, a challenge in them that hit Lance with a blast of nostalgia. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight, and he wondered, not for the first time, how much he had been missing out on.

“Oh, but you’ll have to catch me first.” Lance winked at Keith as he found his footing again, then danced away into the water.

The two chased each other across the beach for hours, running though both sand and surf. By the time the sun was dipping towards the horizon, they were both soaked to the bone, hair crunchy with sand and salt from the water. It was honestly one of the best times Lance had had down at the beach in a while. He and Keith had raced each other up and down the shoreline and taunted each other from far out in the waves, luring each other further and further out. It was the playful competition that Lance and Keith were known for back in Voltron, and Lance was living in it.

“Thought I might find you two out here.”

Lance blinked his eyes open and let them linger on the sky. He rolled over from where he was laying on his back in the sand and saw Rachel reach the end of the path that met the beach. “Mom sent me to fetch you, let you know that dinner’s almost ready.”

“Thanks, Rache,” Lance said, sending her a smile and a thumbs up. “Be there soon!”

She gave him an exasperated but fond shake of her head. “Make sure to clean off all the sand before coming back inside.”

Lance watched her head back towards the house, and then just watched the path when she was out of sight behind the seaside shrubbery before he pushed himself up into a sitting position. To his right, Keith was sitting propped up on his arms, staring out across the ocean with an intense look on his face that looked more appropriate for contemplating the meaning of life and not enjoying the late afternoon on the beach.

“I know you’re super broody and intimidating and all, but you’ll get premature wrinkles if you keep glaring at the ocean like that.” Lance had the pleasure of watching Keith jump a little, as if startled.

He turned his frown on Lance, though Lance was keen to note that it had lost all of the harshness that the horizon had been faced with. This frown was just mildly annoyed. “I’m just messing,” Lance chuckled, sending Keith a lopsided smile, “Come on, time to head inside.”

The walk back was tinted gold by the sun as it began to set in the sky, casting long shadows onto the ground. Lance dawdles from side to side along the path, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes trailed often to Keith, who for once didn’t seem to be in a hurry. It made Lance smile. “So, how’d you like the beach?” He asked Keith, stepping up beside him. “Did it meet your expectations?”

“It was actually really fun,” Keith said as if he were surprised by that fact, “Thank you.”

“I’m still shocked it was your first time at the ocean. I’m surprised Shiro didn’t take you.”

“Shiro isn’t my guardian, and he had Garrison duties. Plus, as I said, I grew up in the middle of a desert.” Keith gnawed on his lip, as if he were contemplating something. “To be completely honest, I never really thought about going to the beach as a kid. It was always portrayed as a family activity, and I didn’t have that.”

Lance couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. “Keith, do you know how sad that is?” Lance blurted before he could think better of it. Fortunately, Keith didn’t seem offended by the careless comment.

“Yeah, I guess it kind of is,” Keith mused, “But it all worked out in the end.”

“You and your practicality.” Lance flicked his shoulder.

“I’m just saying, going to the beach as a kid wouldn’t have been as fun as it was with you now.”

“Woah, was that a compliment?” Lance gasped in mock surprise. “You do enjoy my company!”

This had Keith laughing at him now. “Lance, you’d be stupider than I thought if you couldn’t tell. I wouldn’t have asked to stay here otherwise.”

“I guess you’re right,” Lance replied with a grin, something light bubbling within him.

“You know, the Altean markings under your eyes kind of glow in the dark.” Lance looked up at Keith as he walked back into the room from changing into pajamas again. Lance had already turned out the lights and was standing by the open window, breathing in the cool night air before he had to close and lock it.

“Hm?” Unconsciously he raised a hand to trace one of the marks, unable to feel the difference in the skin. “Oh, yeah. Sometimes they do that. I don’t really know what causes it.”

“It’s still a little strange to see you with them,” Keith said, flopping down on the trundle mattress.

Honestly, Lance had mostly forgotten about the markings that Allura left him with. He was bound to get used to them eventually, and now he hardly gave them any thought. It was strange. They had felt like a burden of his lost love at first, but then they just became a part of him. A physical aspect of an emotional scar. Lance pulled the window closed and locked it, stepping over Keith and the trundle to collapse onto his bed.

“Are you going back to Dibazaal tomorrow?” Lance asked, doing a horrible job of subtly changing the subject. He shimmied until his arms were folded on the edge, his chin rested atop them so he could see Keith as they spoke. To his surprise, Keith shook his head.

“No, I’m heading up to New Altea, where Krolia is. A discussion was being held, but she told me I could skip it since it was the first time we were coming so close to Earth.”

Krolia. That’s right. Lance hadn’t given much thought to Keith’s mom… hardly ever. Everything happened so fast after Keith found her, and Lance never thought to ask about her once things finally slowed down. Well, might as well change that.

“How is she, anyway? Your mom?”

“She’s doing good. She helps me a lot along with the Blade.” Lance watched as a different expression passed over Keith’s face, one he couldn’t quite name. “It still has me reeling sometimes, having my mom there with me. It’s…” he trailed off, and Lance is pretty sure that he’s not going to finish his thought.

“It seems like you’re doing well then. That’s good.” Lance said and Keith’s eyes flicked over to him.

“Yeah.” Keith nodded, looking almost contemplative. “It gets a bit overwhelming sometimes, but overall, it’s great.”

“Well, whenever you feel like it, you’re always welcome here.” Lance smiled down at Keith, a look that the other returned and it warmed Lance inside.

“You, too,” Keith’s voice drifted into the dark. As the words hit Lance, he froze, suddenly wary of whatever Keith said next. In only a moment, he found out. “I had asked you yesterday, but we were interrupted. I’m curious, though. Do you think you’ll ever go back? To space, I mean.”

Lance had been grateful when Veronica had intercepted that conversation, but now there was no escape. Part of Lance wanted to pretend to be asleep already. The other part made him answer, wanted to answer.

“I… I don’t think I can.” His confession sounded small out loud and he stared up at the ceiling.

The glow in the dark stars that had been plastered to the surface for as long as he could remember shone dimly back at him. Now that he had seen space up close, they seemed like a poor substitute. Lance heard the shifting of blankets from the trundle until Keith’s silhouette appeared at the side of his bed, sitting up. Lance could barely make out the shine of his eyes in the dark, but the delicate moonlight coming in through the open window fully highlighting his features and the pinch of his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

Lance looked away with a sigh. “I don’t think I can handle anything like that anymore.”

Keith frowned. “Well, if not space, why don’t you help Pidge out at the Garrison? I’m sure they would enjoy the company, and you and Matt have always gotten along—”

“Keith.” Lance stopped him, feeling frustration starting to build. “I don’t know what you’re trying to get at here, but I’m happy here, away from it all.”

“I know.” Keith said sharply, surprising Lance and himself, it seemed. “I know,” he restated, softer this time, “That’s what you tell me, but I get the feeling that you may not be.”

Of course Keith wasn’t going to coddle him. He was never one to beat around the bush, and Lance appreciated that about Keith, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying at times.

“Who are you to tell me how I feel?” Lance bit out, “of course I’m happy here!” he defended, albeit a little too loudly and he quickly lowered his voice so he wouldn’t disturb the rest of the house.

“Because I know you, Lance, and this isn’t you.”

“My family’s here and I’m getting to make up for the time I’ve missed with them! I am the happiest I’ve been in years!”

“Lance, none of us have heard from you. You’re neglecting your other family.” Keith raised a hand before Lance could protest. “I completely understand if you needed some time, but it’s been months, Lance. That’s too long!”

Lance pursed his lips. “It’s not like I heard from any of you guys either.” He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth and he felt his eyes go wide. A dark expression passed over Keith’s face, and Lance really didn’t want to hear what he had to say. He quickly shook his head. “Sorry, that… sorry.”

“I couldn’t reach you, Lance!” The frustration in his voice was clear as day and Lance recoiled from his scorn. “When I learned that even Hunk didn’t hear from you, I tried calling you for days! You were the one who never picked up. But you can’t blame me for not trying.” Keith fumed.

“I…” Lance wanted to sincerely apologize, but the words sounded hollow in his mind. He really did feel bad for ignoring his friends, ignoring Keith, especially if it had this much of an effect on him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,” he said, hoping Keith would understand.

Keith sighed, tilting his head up towards the ceiling. “I’m worried about you,” He whispered into the dark, “I miss you, Lance. I know I’m not one to talk, but you’ve pulled away from us, and I’m scared that you’re just going to get further and further away. I don’t want to lose you.”

It was like the breath was knocked right out of him, chest constricting in a way that had him feeling light headed. Lance wanted to grab Keith and make him say those words again when he could see his eyes, to know that it was the truth even if he could already hear it in Keith’s confession. It hit Lance suddenly. He didn’t want to lose Keith either, any of them. He didn’t want to be lost. He wanted to belong with them again like he used to. He wanted to spend time hanging around Hunk while he baked weird space cookies and watch Pidge tinker with an endless supply of technology. He wanted to go back to being Lance and Keith, wanted to be his right hand again, someone Keith could rely on. Where was that Lance? Where had he gone?

“Lance?”

His eyes slowly refocused on Keith, who was watching him cautiously. Lance’s mouth, dry and tasting bitter, opened and closed like a fish out of water, except he was fresh out of words.

“Lance, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what to do.” Lance whispered, his voice not working right. He blinked and found his eyes were swimming with tears. Great. He didn’t want to cry in front of Keith. “I get all messed up when I try to think; about you guys, about the war, about me. I just sort of… stopped.” Lance took a shaky breath, noticing how he was trembling. His throat was tight as he tried to meet Keith’s eyes. “You’re right. I want to be me again.”

He stilled when he felt Keith’s hand rest on his arm, gloves rough against Lance’s skin but his exposed fingers were cool to the touch. Lance opted to stare at it instead of facing the pained look on Keith’s face, his features pinched with concern.

“You’re still you, Lance, no matter what you think.” Keith said softly. “I know I told you just the opposite. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Look at me, Keith. The Lance you knew was loud, flamboyant… devilishly handsome.” Even in his sour mood Lance couldn’t help saying it. It caught Keith’s attention, though.

“See, that’s Lance right there, even if it’s the annoying part.”

Lance gave a weak laugh but still didn’t look up. “But I’m not a hero now. I’m just some boy who lives on a farm with his family. The universe doesn’t need me anymore.”

“Forget about the universe for one second. I didn’t meet Lance, Paladin of Voltron, defender of the universe. I met Lance: the pilot in training; a piece of work if you’d ask me. Then I got to know Lance, the loud, arrogant boy who was never on time and had way too much of an ego.”

“Hey!” Lance protested weakly, coaxing a fond smile out of Keith.

“Don’t beat yourself up because you’re no longer risking your life in an intergalactic war. I’m sorry that I pressed you about going back into space, but no matter what you do with your life, you’ll always be the same Lance to me.”

Lance’s heart stuttered in his chest. “Damn Keith, since when did you become so good with words?” Lance sniffled, swiping at his eyes. “Did you like, practice speeches when you were stuck on that space whale or something?”

“I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you guys again. I wanted to know that if I did, I would be able to tell you everything I needed to without getting the words wrong.”

“Wait seriously? That was a joke, man.” Lance sniffled, curious and glad that the attention was no longer on him. “So you just thought of ways to cheer me up?”

“Among other things.” The corners of Keith’s mouth tilted upwards, seemingly without his knowledge. “There’s a lot I want to say to you.”

For some reason Lance felt his face grow warm, the touch from Keith’s hand on his arm sending sparks across his skin. “Oh? Like what?”

Keith’s smile turned sheepish and he pulled his hand back to rest in his lap. “You’ll probably find out eventually. It’s not important now.” Lance frowned but decided not to push it. “My point is: I’m here for you, we all are. We just want you back, Lance, and that could be here on Earth, or somewhere offworld.” Keith’s eyes bore into Lance’s and Lance couldn’t help but feel extremely raw and exposed under the focused gaze.

“I don’t… I’m not sure if I could handle it; Going back there. I’m not sure if I’d be of any use.” Lance hated the pitiful wobble in his voice.

“You could help Hunk, Shiro, and Coran with their coalition meetings, you always had a way with words and flattery. The Garrison would probably welcome you back to the instructing program with open arms. Hell, you could come to the Blades if you wanted. We could always use more people and I’d love to have you there.” Keith seemed to catch himself and his eyes got wide, which Lance didn’t miss. Too bad he was trying to keep himself from hyperventilating. All of these ideas, Lance had thought of all of them. They seemed so far out of his reach.

Keith seemed to sense his panic and rushed to reassure him. “I’m not asking you to make a decision, now or ever. Just… think about it, okay? I think you would be surprised by all the incredible things out there without a war going on.”

And that was a very reasonable request, Lance found. Sure, it was the same thing he had been doing all along, but it seemed so much simpler when he was hearing it aloud. “Yeah,” Lance said, trying to sound hopeful. “Yeah, alright.” Keith nodded, a sparkle of something flashing in his eyes. Keith sent him one more smile in the dark before laying back down, dark hair spilling over the pillow.

Lance laid in his bed awake for a long time after that, thinking about everything they had said. The prospect of going back to space sounded so much easier when Keith said it, but left alone with his own thoughts now, Lance felt the same daunting fear creep over him. What was he supposed to do? He clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the frustration build within him. Of course Keith being here would have him second-guessing his decision to stay on Earth. It wasn’t just that, though. Seeing Hunk and Pidge again, hearing about everybody’s time after the war and the things they have done, and all he had was his work at the farm to compare it to. Feeling the companionship that he had denied himself for so long felt like a breath of fresh air that he didn’t know he had needed. If he had remained out of contact, this probably wouldn’t have happened, but now that Lance was reminded of the world he had walked away from, he wasn’t sure if he could stay away any longer.

Lance looked over at Keith, now passed out on the trundle. It would be weird, Lance thought, when Keith went back to space. He had only stayed for a day, yet Lance was already used to having him around again. Eventually, he noticed Keith’s eyes were no longer open and his face had gone lax. He was asleep, and Lance found himself smiling fondly at him. A warmth had spread through his chest, a familiar feeling that he thought he had left behind when he became the red Paladin, and he couldn't help but feel like Keith had something to do with it.. The answer to everything having to do with Lance often led to Keith, one way or another. That was just how it worked.

Rolling over onto his back, he gazed at the glow in the dark stars. By tomorrow, Keith would be back among the real ones, doing his part to make the universe a better place. A true leader, a true hero of the universe. When he was younger, envy would have consumed him; the hot shot Keith Kogane, best of his class, can do anything and everything. Now Lance only felt pride, knowing that Keith was out there doing his best, shining as bright as the stars Lance loved so much.

“Goodnight, Keith,” Lance whispered into the night. He didn’t expect a response and he didn’t get one. It didn’t matter. Lance drifted to sleep within moments.

His dreams were filled with sunrises over Veradero beach and the laughter of his family. The hot, Cuban sun soaking through his shirt as he worked in the fields or trained beneath the large tree on the hill. The night sky filled with endless stars, a smile that could only mean mischief, and the feel of a tight embrace. Dark eyes that reflected the vastness of the universe and the three simple words “I miss you” echoing in their gaze.

The following afternoon Lance stood on the platform outside of the Garrison watching the open side of the Balde shuttle that was humming lowly. The desert around was warm as always, but today a cooler breeze blew across the barren landscape, a sure sign that winter was almost upon them. Soon Keith walked out of the spacecraft, dressed once again in his Blade uniform. Lance knew the guy’s habits from during Voltron and wondered if he still rarely took the suit off. The hood was down and Keith’s inky black fringe blew lightly around his face, the bulk of it tied back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. It was stupid how Lance still felt that familiar pit open up in his gut when he watched Keith

“Thank you again for letting me stay. It was… really nice,” Keith said, stepping up to him with a warm smile on his face. Lance couldn’t help but smile back, warmth blooming in his chest. Yeah, he would really miss him.

“As I said, you’re always welcome,” Lance replied, “And I’m loath to admit it, but it was nice having your dumb mullet around again,” He quipped and was rewarded with a pinched look from Keith.

“It’s not a mullet, Lance,” he sighed, fully knowing that there would be no convincing Lance otherwise. If Lance looked closely, he could swear that the smile hadn’t disappeared from his face completely.

“Believe what you like, but one day you’ll have to face the truth.” Lance said dramatically, as if he were simply humoring Keith. The fight against his smirk was a losing battle, though. He stepped up next to Keith, sliding an arm around his shoulders. “It was good seeing you. Don’t be a stranger, yeah?” He said, bumping Keith’s hip with his.

This earned him an amused chuckle from Keith. “I feel like I should be telling you that.” Keith’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but Lance could hear the underlying seriousness.

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t ghost you anymore; all of you. I promise!” Lance added when Keith only raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, after seeing Hunk, Pidge, and Keith, Lance didn’t think he would last long without talking to them again anyway.

“I’m holding you to that.” Keith raised a threatening finger, to which Lance raised his hands in mock surrender. But his smile was back, unable to be contained any longer, and it seemed Keith couldn’t hold his back either. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, and it felt like a promise.

The two of them stood there and Keith looked like he was caught in a debate, his eyes flicking over Lance’s face for a moment as if he were looking for something. A subtle shift in his stance, and then Keith was stepping forward, wrapping his arms around Lance in an embrace. Lance couldn’t really say he was surprised, but his breath still caught in his lungs. Keith had never really been very physical when it came to others, but maybe he had grown more comfortable with it in the past few months. And who was Lance to shy away from a hug? He wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders, pulling Keith further into his chest. His hair tickled the side of Lance’s face, and despite the gripes he made about it, Lance was actually quite fond of Keith’s hair. It was incredibly soft, a fact that Lance still couldn’t comprehend sometimes. How was that fair? He could feel Keith take a deep breath, in and out, and he seemed to relax a little in Lance’s arms. A moment like this could last forever and he’d never tire of it, Lance thought absentmindedly.

But then Keith pulled away, and although that was pretty typical for hugs, Lance couldn’t help but feel like it could have gone on a little longer. He liked the feel of Keith held up against him, strong arms wrapped around his back.

“Later, Lance!” Keith said, lips tilting into a lopsided smirk.

“Safe travels, Samurai,” Lance called to him with a wave, and Keith raised a hand in a mock salute, one that would have earned him a scolding back when they were cadets.

Lance watched as Keith boarded the shuttle, determined to not let it affect him. It didn’t matter that Lance had stood from this exact position, watching as Keith went off on his next big adventure, back to him as he slipped away. No matter how many times Keith came back, it still left a twist in Lance’s chest, a pit open in his stomach. Because Keith was always leaving, and Lance couldn’t deny the fear that festered in the back of his mind that one day he wouldn’t come back. That he would get further and further away, further and further out of reach.

Keith paused at the top of the ramp. He turned, casting Lance one last look. It may have just been the distance or the similar feeling Lance felt himself, but it almost appeared longing, a reluctance to leave just yet. It may have been. Lance would never know. The door rose behind him and the engines hummed to life, glowing the signature indigo of the Blades. The craft rose slowly into the air, kicking up small clouds of dust from the platform, and then Keith was flying away, disappearing into the clear blue sky. Lance stood there and watched until he was absolutely sure that he couldn’t see the shuttle anymore, and even then he stayed, looking out over the desert. It wasn’t until his legs started to get sore that he finally returned to the Red Lion and made his way home.

When his hand twisted the cool metal knob it sent a thrill up his spine, one that could be dread or anticipation. When the door finally swung open, Lance reached down to lift the tabs of the large cardboard box sitting at the bottom of his closet. White, black and blue were the first things he saw. Then there were small baubles, trinkets that he had collected, most of which he couldn’t make sense of. The sight of them had a void opening in his chest, but that’s not why he was there. He quickly reached into the box, searching blindly until his fingers closed around the familiar metal device. Once he had it, he stepped back and closed the closet without a second thought. The gnawing sensation in his gut was already subsiding. He looked at the object in his hand, his phone. It was dead, had been for a while. He knew that he would find missed calls and messages from his friends, and a wave of guilt washed over him with that realization. He knew he couldn’t stay away any longer, though.. It had been long enough. He wouldn’t hide from them anymore. Not this time.

Chapter Text

“You’re here a lot now,” Pidge sighed, standing in the doorway to their lab. They looked like they hadn’t slept in a few days, with their copper hair sticking up at random, dark bags starting to form beneath their eyes. Behind them Lance could see a large box overflowing with wires of all sorts. They were obviously deep in their work, but Lance flashed them a bright smile, hoping that his natural charm would help win them over.

“How dare you act like you don’t appreciate my company!” Lance said, holding an affronted hand to his chest. “I’m offended.”

“Yeah yeah,” they rolled their eyes, crossing their arms over their chest, “Now, what do you want?”

“I’m here to get you to eat some food for once,” Lance proclaimed proudly. Pidge watched him, unamused.

“I’m busy, Lance.”

“But Pidge,” Lance whined, slumping against the doorframe, “It’s already noon and I haven’t eaten since, like, five!”

“That sounds like your problem.” Pidge started to step back into their lab. “I know you know where the cafeteria is. Nothing’s stopping you from getting something to eat.”

“But it’s no fun going to get food by myself!” Lance sulked, “And I didn’t hear you deny the part about not eating.”

They had a silent stare down in which Pidge tilted their head just so their glasses caught the lights from their lab, turning the glass lenses opaque. While quite intimidating, Lance wasn’t going to let them get out of this. He may have been mysteriously absent for the first half of the year, but he was more than making up for that by spending time with Pidge at the Garrison. It was the closest he allowed himself to get to space, and no matter how much they complained about his presence, Lance knew that Pidge didn’t mind him dropping in so often. He would even go as far to say that they enjoyed having him around.

Lance could see the moment Pidge gave in, their lips thinning just a fraction before their chest heaved with a sigh.

“Fine,” they relented, slumping in defeat. Lance knew they weren’t really annoyed with him, more likely exhausted by his antics and their overall lack of sleep and good nutrition. Pidge really did forget to take care of themselves when there was work to be done. “Just let me clean up my station first.”

Less than five minutes later, Lance was leading the way down the artificially lit hallways of the Garrison, a cheerful smile on his face. Other officials and cadets in training greeted them as they passed, addressing both Lance and Pidge, because while Pidge was a full time resident of the Garrison, Lance was becoming a common sight around the facility. Even though Pidge spent a worrying amount of time tucked away in their lab, they still had a general knowledge of the Garrison, and it didn’t take them any time at all to determine that Lance was not leading them to the cafeteria.

“I thought it was obvious that I was joking earlier, but you do know where the cafeteria is, right?” Pidge prodded suspiciously.

“Of course I know where the cafeteria is!” Lance said, raising his eyebrows at Pidge, “So full of doubt.” He clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“Okay, then why aren’t we going in the right direction?” Pidge inquired.

“Because…” Lance leaned forward towards Pidge so their eyes were almost on the same level, “We’re not going to the cafeteria.” With that, Lance straightened and continued down the hallway.

“Where are we going then? I thought you wanted to get lunch!” Their footsteps started up behind him. “Lance!”

Lance rolled his eyes, not bothering to turn around. “Oh Pidge, always trying to unravel the unknowns.” He raised his arms, lacing his fingers behind his head, relaxed and carefree. “But what’s life without the occasional surprise?”

He could hear Pidge grumble behind him and he just laughed. How he had ever stayed away from them when they were so close to home, Lance will never know.

“Hunk!” Lance watched as Pidge bolted through the restaurant towards where Hunk was already sitting at a booth. “Lance didn’t tell me you’d be here!”

Hunk looked up as the two of them walked in the door and his face had lit up. Lance followed behind them, more casual, but he was just as excited to see his best friend.

“Yeah, he said that he would let it be a surprise,” Hunk chuckled, wrapping an arm around Pidge in greeting.

“Told you,” Lance grins, sliding into the booth across from them. “Now, what are we getting? I’m starving.”

They shared a really nice lunch, the food being really great since it was Hunk who had recommended the place. As they were starting to slow down, the three began to talk more, catching up with Hunk, who hadn’t been back to Earth since he had first visited Lance.

“I know we’ve been to so many of them, but it still blows my mind sometimes just how many planets there are,” Lance said around a bite.

“Yeah, it’s incredible. All of the different cultures and lifestyles and food!” Hunk beamed. Then, his smile turned a little tentative, though no less bright. “There are so many places that I think you’d love!”

It had been an unspoken sort of taboo among them: Lance’s reluctance to go back into space. He was grateful that his friends respected his decision, but he could tell that it was the cause of strained conversation from time to time. He saw Pidge glance at Hunk from their seat next to him, a small frown pursing their lips before they looked back at Lance. Both of them were watching him, waiting to see what his reaction would be to the insinuation that Lance would go back.

And honestly, Lance wasn’t even sure anymore if he would stay away from space forever. The longer he hung around Pidge at the Garrison the more accustomed he got to the casual talk of missions and exploration. That was the Garrison’s purpose anyway. When Hunk would call and talk of the coalition, Lance felt a little closer to him, Shiro, and Coran, the two of whom he still had yet to see in person again. He hoped it wouldn’t be too much longer. He missed Coran’s chipper attitude and Shiro’s steady presence.

Keith was the closest of them to the war recovery, but that didn’t stop Lance from calling him whenever he could, and Lance may go as far to say that Keith felt the same. Their conversations weren’t always long, sometimes just a simple check in, but other times they would sit for hours, talking about things Keith encountered recently in a mission, things that they remembered fondly from Voltron, or subjects completely unrelated to space at all like what Lance had eaten for breakfast and how it compared to other breakfast foods on Earth, then other foods that Keith had tried on Diabazaal, and somehow they would end the conversation in a debate about vintage TV shows that they did or didn’t like.

Lance didn’t care what they discussed, but that he was talking to Keith. It was what he had been looking for since the early days of Voltron. He had wanted Keith’s attention, wanted his friendship. But just when he thought he had it, everything fell apart and they hadn’t been the same afterwards. Keith had left to join the Blades and Lance couldn’t help but think that he had something to do with that. But now, with their frequent calls, Lance finally felt like he was making progress again. It had always been them, Lance and Keith, Keith and Lance, and it was what he had been missing since the war ended. Their playful banter, their sarcastic comments, it’s what Lance lived for. And the fact that Keith would be there for him no matter where he was, on Earth or elsewhere, made it easier for Lance to breathe when he thought of space. He still wasn’t sure if he was ready, but… the thought didn’t terrify him like it used to.

So he smiled at Hunk, a true, genuine smile. “Yeah?” He said, delighting in the way that both Hunk’s and Pidge’s eyebrows raise when Lance didn’t shut Hunk down.

“Yeah, man!” Hunk brightened up immediately. “I know you swear by the sunsets over Varadero, but there are some seriously pretty views out there!”

“You should send some pictures next time!” Lance said enthusiastically, already trying to imagine what sorts of sunsets there could be. He’s seen his fair share of alien skies so he knew Hunk was probably right about their beauty.

“Really? You’d want to see them?” Hunk breathed, eyes flicking to Pidge for a split second.

“Yeah, they sound really cool.”

While Lance and Hunk shared a smile, Pidge studied Lance skeptically. Lance could see their searching expression and he raised his eyebrows at them. “What?” He asked, though he was fairly sure he knew what was on their mind

“Soo… you’re not going to shut us down every time we mention you and space in the same sentence anymore?” They asked, suspicious.

Lance knew their question was valid but he hated himself a little for making it so. He didn’t feel like dragging this out. Honestly, he was tired of trying to ignore all of space. It had been - still was, really - a big part of his life, and trying to block it out was taking up too much of his energy. So Lance met his friends’ eyes, unable to keep the smile from spreading across his face, a sort of giddiness fluttering through his veins.

“Yeah,” he breathed, and he felt like a weight was lifting from his shoulders. “I don’t want you guys to have to watch yourselves around me. I don’t want to distance myself anymore.”

His admission was met with silence at first, but then both Pidge and Hunk were beaming at him. Hunk reached across the table to pat Lance’s shoulder and Pidge clambered onto his side of the booth, flinging their arms around him.

“Finally!” They whooped, voice loud in Lance’s ear but he couldn’t bring himself to mind.

Lance spent the rest of their lunch laughing with his friends, feeling like a divide he hadn’t known was there had finally fallen away. Slowly, he was starting to remember just the person he had been, the one he was before they won the war.

It was dark, something Lance had forgotten about, and it was doing nothing to help his nerves. There were only a handful of people around him, mostly keeping to themselves as they checked over their things. A woman next to him tapped away furiously on a tablet, the green Altean marks on her cheeks glowing dimly, igniting the vigor in her eyes. Everyone had something keeping them busy, but all Lance could do was sit and stare straight ahead and try not to fidget too much. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. Just calm down. He had been flying Red more and more from the Garrison and his home, but somehow he could feel the difference. It was in the way the ship occasionally dipped or rocked in whatever substituted for turbulence where there was no wind. The lights in the cabin felt wrong compared to the tinted lights of the Red Lion, and the lack of visibility was starting to get on Lance’s nerves. That was another thing, the source of Lance’s restlessness. He was so used to being in control of the craft when he flew, used to knowing what was going on and what he was doing. Now he was left with nothing to occupy his mind but anxieties tumbling around his brain.

It had been after a call with Hunk and Coran that Lance was sitting on his bed feeling a bit numb. It was nearing the end of winter and Hunk had started talking about the things that were underway on New Altea. A lot of it was pretty standard coalition business that Lance had been following pretty closely through Hunk and Shiro, up until Coran dropped a bomb on him.

“What!?” Lance nearly dropped his phone, fingers clutching it tightly. “What do you mean?”

“They’re looking for someone to oversee the final stages of construction on the monument for Allura,” Coran explained, a tension forming around his eyes. Lance recognized that look, and although things had gotten better, he could relate to the sadness that still accompanied any mention of Allura. “The lead requested someone who had been close to her or Voltron to help out since this memorial will mean more to you lot.”

“Oh,” He tried his best to keep his expression neutral, but something must have shown, because suddenly Hunk moved fully into view, grabbing the screen like he would normally grab Lance's shoulders when needed him to pay attention.

“Hey, we’re not telling you to do this. It’s one hundred percent your choice,” Hunk said, soft and stern at the same time, “But we figured it would be good to at least give you the option.”

“Um, no, yeah, thanks for…” Lance stammered, focusing on the wallpaper pattern behind Hunk.

“Lance, buddy. You alright?” Hunk asked, a pinch forming between his brows.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lance rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Um, I gotta go. I’ll get back to you about the memorial, yeah?” He saw Hunk’s face fall but he was already waving goodbye, “See you later bud.”

Lance ended the call, staring blankly at the dark screen. He knew his reaction had disappointed Hunk, but he couldn’t think right then. He had thought about it, over and over, trying to imagine what it would be like to leave Earth again, even to step foot on New Altea. Lance couldn’t deny part of him was tempted by the opportunity, but what would happen? He knew he wouldn’t be able to prepare himself for what it would actually be like, being back there. He wanted to believe he could handle it just fine. He was scared that he’d be wrong.

Lance almost jumped out of his skin when his phone buzzed in his hand, the screen lighting up with another call. He wasn’t really surprised to see Keith’s picture staring back at him, but he debated just letting it ring. Did he really want to talk to Keith right now? Lance was good at hiding his emotions, but Keith seemed to read him all too easily. With a sigh, Lance rubbed a hand over his face before tapping the receive call button, trying to look alive as Keith’s face popped up on screen.

“Hey Lance! How…” Lance watched the casual smile fall from Keith’s face. He could have put in an effort, he could have smiled when he answered the call like he normally did, but he didn’t feel like trying to hide right now. He didn’t want to. “Are you alright?” Keith asked.

“Haha, um,” Lance said, wanting to retain some resemblance of his usual ease, “I just got off call with Hunk and Coran. They… they want me to go up to New Altea and help with the memorial for Allura.” He was pleasantly surprised when he got through that without so much as a waver. “They said that the Alteans want someone from Voltron to oversee the final stages.”

Keith kept his expression neutral except for the slight purse of his lips. “What do you think?”

And wasn’t that a great question.

“I still don’t know if I’m ready. I’m… I’m scared,” Lance admitted solemnly, dragging his hands over his face.

“It’s alright to be scared, Lance.” Keith’s reassurance didn’t sit well with him.

“I shouldn’t be scared! I fought in a space war for fuck’s sake!” Lance huffed bitterly. He saw the barest quirk of Keith’s lips at the use of the Altean profanity but it disappeared quickly.

“You know that’s not how it works,” Keith said, earning him a scowl from Lance. “You’re not obligated to say yes to the offer either.”

“I know, I know,” Lance groaned. Then, “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to go?”

Lance heaved a sigh, blowing the air loudly through his mouth as he studied the posters on his door, with their peeling tape and fading colors. “That’s the thing, I know it would be good for me, it would help me, and I don’t want to give up that opportunity,” Lance said, “It’s just…” he floundered, overwhelmed by the things he couldn’t find words for.

Keith sat there and let Lance try to regain his composure. It was one of the reasons that Lance felt comfortable discussing this with Keith. Hunk and Pidge didn’t like seeing Lance distressed and stressed out and would often try to direct the conversation towards lighter topics, while Shiro would try to lay out the facts logically and try to find a reasonable solution. Keith never seemed to expect anything from Lance other than whatever Lance could give at the moment, and Lance would be eternally grateful for that.

He imagined what it must be like for Keith to watch him struggle from across a screen, nothing but silence spanning the distance. What did Keith think of Lance’s mild crisis? Keith would be able to make this decision without much of a second thought. He was determined like that. Maybe that’s why Lance decided to pick up Keith’s call, hoping that his collected presence, though actually far away, would help Lance keep his head and look at the offer rationally. It was that presence that kept Lance from spiraling, and allowed him to figure out what he was going to do.

Steeling himself, Lance took a deep breath. “I want to go,” he said with an air of finality.

He met Keith’s eyes through the screen and they were watching him, rapt with concealed anticipation. “I want to, and I’m going to go to New Altea.”

Keith smiled, genuinely proud and brighter than the stars during a new moon. “That’s great, Lance!” He said.

Lance was relieved to find that Keith’s encouragement didn’t come off as patronizing. While Lance really wasn’t sure if he could handle space again, he was aware of how he had pictured his friends’ reactions, their exclamations of ‘finally’ or ‘it’s about time’. Even a simple ‘we’re proud of you, Lance’ felt like it would shatter whatever pride Lance had. He didn’t want to feel like he had been wrong about his choice to stay with his family for so long. Lance actually felt a swell of confidence from Keith’s words, their sentiment helping settle the nervous churning in Lance’s gut that had come with the decision.

“We’ll see,” Lance had laughed, hoping Keith was right.

Now Lance wished he had asked one of them to come along with him for the journey. His nerves were eating him alive and his hands were clasped tightly around the handle of his bag. He didn’t know when he was going back home so he had packed enough clothes to last him roughly a week, enough to keep him from doing laundry every other day. The woman next to him had put away her tablet and now she was staring down at a book, eyes distant as she read. Maybe he should have brought something to keep himself occupied. He was just going to play on his phone until he arrived, but it failed to keep his attention for more than a few minutes.

A small light flashed from the cabin’s ceiling followed by a chime. They would be landing soon. Lance took a deep breath, trying to remember what it had been like in New Altea when he was there for the party. At the time, his mind had been hazy with grief and exhaustion, and he found that he could remember very little of it. He remembered the Altean princess who had tried to talk to him; the loud chatter of the people celebrating the end of the war; the sweet and bitter smell of nunvill that clouded certain people. The cool night air as he walked down the cobblestone path, a steady presence at his side, antsy with concern. The pink of the Juniberries, dulled in the dark, as he spat out bitter words. The hurt in those dark eyes before Lance turned and stalked away, not knowing those would be his last words to him in many months.

The shuttle jostled as it came to rest on the ground, and all around Lance people started to rise, collecting their things and queuing up by the door. Lance joined them, tapping his fingers anxiously against his thigh. This was it. He was going to do it. He wanted to run so bad. His feet remained planted to the floor. Daylight flooded into the dark cabin from around the door as it lowered. Lance shielded his eyes from the brightness and noticed a few others doing the same. People started to file out, eager to get to their destination. Lance followed them out, stepping into the sunlight and looking out over the cascading green grasses and vibrant blue lakes, the castle gleaming white isn’t the distance with villages dotting the countryside. It was a strange feeling to see it again, an uncomfortable twisting in his chest and the feeling of being incredibly out of place. He made his way down the ramp, shuffling along with the other passengers. He stepped away from the crowd and out onto the central street that seemed to lead straight towards the castle. Trees lined it on either side, tall, with sprawling branches and luscious green leaves. Lance could hardly believe it. He had actually made it. He was there on New Altea, where he had been convinced he would never step foot on again only a few weeks ago.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, and that’s when it hit him. Sweet, but not overly so. Overwhelming, the smell of her hair, her perfume. The Juniberries were in full bloom, and their fragrance blanketed the land in a floral haze of what Lance had always thought love smelled like. It wasn’t pleasant now. Instead it was suffocating, burning his eyes and causing tears to rise unbidden, clawing at his throat. Lance felt like he had taken a punch to the gut, the wind knocked firmly from his lungs. His bag slipped from his hands and fell to the cobblestones with a dull thud at his feet. He wanted to clamp his eyes shut but he had no control over them. They remained wide and watering, frantically darting from sight to sight, unsure where it was safe for them to rest. Someone laughed and it sounded like her, loud and boisterous, before being drowned out by the blood rushing and pounding of his heart in his ears. His chest was caving in, the void he had been ignoring suddenly opening beneath him, ready to swallow him whole. Lance had thought he would be fine. He had gone so long without feeling this kind of emptiness, but New Altea might as well have been a shock to his system, rendering him utterly useless. He should have known, should have never come back. What made him think he would be able to handle it?

“Lance!”

Lance jumped, shoulders tensing. Someone had called his name, voice familiar enough to cut through Lance’s racing thoughts. But where had it come from? Where…

There. Walking towards him from his right was a figure dressed in the recognizable black and purple of a Blade uniform, hood down so his dark hair framed his face. His eyes were on Lance, a casual smile on his lips and a hand raised in greeting. Lance’s vision tunneled, honed in on the man walking towards him. A hush befell his mind, all of his anxiety falling into a lull.

“Keith,” Lance breathed, stepping towards him and nearly tripping over his bag.

He stumbled, eyes going wide as he regained his balance. He wasn’t going to fall now, but as he righted himself he felt a steadying hand wrap around his arm.

“Woah there,” Keith’s amethyst eyes were suddenly in his face, a questioning look to them. The hand on his arm tightened and Lance took another deep breath followed by another wave of dizziness as the scent of Juniberries flooded his system. “Lance, are you alright?” Keith’s eyes flitted over him and Lance felt embarrassment heating his cheeks.

“I’m fine,” Lance muttered. It was a lie, he knew it. Keith probably knew it, too. The colors were too bright and the air seemed to be getting thicker, making it harder and harder to breathe. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I might come and make sure you settled in alright. I know how nervous you’ve been about this.”

If Lance wasn’t currently trying not to hyperventilate he might have taken offense to the implication that he couldn’t settle himself on a new planet alone. As it stood, he was actually grateful that Keith had thought of him because, loath as he was to admit it, Keith was right.

In a clumsy attempt to stand, Lance pushed away Keith’s arms that had been steadying him and nearly keeled over the other way. Nearly. He wasn’t going to make a fool of himself out in the open. Lance couldn’t be sure if anyone had recognized him as a paladin of Voltron, but even if they hadn’t made the connection earlier, Keith still stood out in his dark suit. He would draw attention to the two of them and people would notice.

Memories of grateful citizens crowding around their group surfaced in his mind, their chipper voices grating on Lance’s nerves with all of their praise and seemingly endless chatter. He always expected gratitude from the people of the universe, that was never out of the question. He vaguely recalled the days in which he lived to hear the cheers and applause. Now those days were long gone. Now, everyone asked what he had been up to and how the other paladins were. Now, everyone asked if he still missed Allura or if there was someone new in the picture. Now, everyone praised him for saving the universe. He couldn’t imagine what these people would say if they saw him stumbling around the port on New Altea, clearly out of his depth and slowly losing it. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t a savior. He wasn’t anybody anymore. He was still just some kid who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pretty soon, everyone would see that the blue-red Paladin wasn’t all they thought he was.

He needed to get away. Lance fumbled to grab his bag off of the ground and took a few unsteady steps away from the main square.

“Lance, you don’t look very good.” Keith’s footfalls came from close behind. Lance pursed his lips and kept walking. He knew he probably looked like he had seen a ghost or something. His skin felt clammy and his vision seemed delayed. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Lance couldn’t find his voice and was going to opt for a nod but found himself shaking his head instead. No, he was not alright, and trying to convince Keith otherwise was a waste of his energy. Plus, he wasn’t sure what he would do if he had to sit alone in his hotel room. Keith’s presence was always grounding and made the insane seem a little easier to bear.

“Hey, maybe you should sit down,” Keith said, putting a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

Lance shook his head again, not wanting to spend more time than necessary out in the open, but his legs strayed towards the side of the path with the slightest pressure from Keith’s hand. There was a bench between two trees a little ways from the side of the main path and Keith led him there. Lance sat down hard, leaning back and looking up between the branches at the sky. He duly noted Keith taking a seat beside him but he was trying to slow his heart rate. This was not going well so far.

“Just breathe,” Keith instructed and Lance tried his best. Each breath he took seemed to cloud his mind further, the sweet smell of Juniberries clogging his senses, but with each breath he could feel himself growing used to the fragrance. The longer he sat, focused on his breaths, he found that his heart was no longer beating out of control and the blurring at the edges of his vision had subsided. By the time he was convinced that he wouldn’t pass out on the spot, Lance dragged his eyes away from the sky, wincing at the dull ache in his neck now that it was no longer bent at a sharp angle. He watched the people walking along the main road, individuals on their way to and from the castle. There were a few Humans among them as well as a handful of other aliens, but the majority of them were Altean with their pointed ears, vibrant hair, and the colorful marks beneath their eyes.

“Better?”

Lance nearly jumped out of his skin, head whipping to the side to see a startled Keith sitting there. Right, Keith was here. Lance gave his best smile, and although he could feel it wobbling, it was mostly genuine.

“Yeah, thanks man.” He blew out a puff of air and flexed his hands against his knees. “I guess I was right about freaking out when I got here. One point for Lancey-Lance.”

“That’s another reason why I came,” Keith said, picking at the sleeve of his uniform, “I thought you might appreciate a familiar face.”

“Well, consider yourself much appreciated.” Lance chuckled, studying the fraying edges of the hole he had torn in his jeans some time ago. “I probably would have collapsed in the middle of the street otherwise.”

“You said you were scared of how you’d react to being here. I guess I thought it was mostly just nerves or something. I didn’t realize how bad it was.”

“To be completely honest, I thought it was nerves, too. Like how it feels on the first day of school, or something that goes away once you’re actually there.”

In the days before he left, Lance kept telling himself that he was just nervous. He was going back into space after pretty much extracting himself from it, a thing that scared him in and of itself. But this was also New Altea, and that itself brought back too many unpleasant memories. It would be alright, he told himself. His family, though a little worried at first, eventually agreed that this was good for Lance. He didn’t like the idea of leaving them behind again, but his other family was out there, out in space, and he wanted to go back.

He had actually been excited when he left, feeling just like he had when they found the Blue Lion all those years ago, the anticipation of adventure and the unknown filling him with adrenaline. He was nervous, but it was a good nervous. He was slowly getting back to becoming the adventurous, free spirit that he remembered himself as when he was younger. Unfortunately that plan had come to a screeching halt pretty fast.

“What happened then?” Keith’s voice drew him out of his thoughts. “You were really pale when I found you.”

Lance winced. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said sharply, “At least, not here,” he added when he saw the look of hurt that flashed over Keith’s face. “Almost one breakdown in public is enough for me.”

“Okay.”

They sat for a few more minutes. The silence between them was a little awkward and Lance realized just how much the two of them had grown over the years they had known each other. It used to be like this all the time between them. Well, at least when Lance wasn’t running his mouth. He suddenly felt bad for shutting Keith down, especially when he was just trying to understand.

“Well, I should probably go and check into my room. Drop off my stuff and all that,” Lance said, getting to his feet. Keith did the same beside him with a slightly troubled look on his face. Lance raised a questioning eyebrow. While he didn’t mention it, a small part of him was hoping that Keith might ask to come with him. Lance knew that Keith wouldn’t be on New Altea forever, but he was here now and Lance really didn’t want to be on his own just yet.

So the two of them stood there, if a little awkwardly, waiting for something neither of them could name. Despite his claims, Lance did not leave to his hotel just yet, and Keith made no move to go anywhere either. Lance was going to wait for Keith to say something, but the longer they stayed there the more antsy Lance felt.

“Are you just going to stand there, or do you want to walk with me?”

Lance got the satisfaction of watching Keith’s mouth open and close, like a fish out of water. It was more than a little funny and Lance found that he didn’t have to focus on how daunting it was to be back on New Altea when he could pick fun at Keith. “Or, of course, I could also leave you here standing in front of this bench. I just thought that you may want to hang out since you’ve taken the time out of your precious week to see me.”

“Here I thought I might need to worry about you nearly collapsing again,” Keith grumbled, trying for his best unimpressed scowl, “And you make it sound like I don’t take the time to call you as frequently as I do.”

“Is that a no then?”

“Sometimes I forget how irritating you are.” Keith brushed past, scooping Lance’s bag off of the ground and hefting it over his shoulder.

“If that’s the case, there’s lots of time for me to remind you.” Lance smirked. “Plus, I can’t be that bad. You like me, and you are notorious for having a low tolerance for ‘irritating’.”

“Whatever you say.”

The nice thing about New Aleta’s main road was that it went directly to the castle and passed through the capital city as well. Soon, the sprawling fields of juniberries and crystal ponds gave way to houses and storefronts. The crowd thickened here, the Alteans bustling to and fro about their daily business. Lance found himself leaning towards Keith, his presence comforting and keeping Lance’s simmering panic at bay.

“You know I can carry my own bag, right?” He said after accidentally bumping it with his shoulder. Keith shook his head. He still held Lance’s bag, and it seemed like he wanted to keep it that way. Lance sighed. “I’m not going to keel over at any moment, Keith.”

“Normally, people don’t complain about someone else carrying their stuff.”

“Yeah, but I like to pull my own weight. Now give it here.” Lance made a grab for his bag but Keith twisted out of his reach, a smirk tugging at his lips. Lance just frowned. “Keith, come on!”

This time when he reached for his bag his fingers caught on the strap. “Aha!” He pulled at the bag just as Keith tried to maneuver again and suddenly the strap was flying over Keith’s arm. Lance felt a burst of triumph only to have it shatter as his momentum sent him toppling backwards. He went down with an undignified squawk and hit the cobblestones hard, pain shooting up from his tailbone. Only a second later his bag came hurling towards him, hitting Lance square in the chest.

The people around them cast a few curious glances his way but otherwise no one seemed to mind that Lance had just fallen on his ass in the middle of the street. The worst part was seeing Keith standing over him, a carefully neutral expression on his face. Lance could practically see his jaw twitching with a barely concealed smile. What had he said? He wouldn’t keel over? Well he hadn’t exactly, but Lance would have to be blind to miss the I-told-you-so energy radiating off of Keith.

“You were saying?”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Alright alright.” Keith held out a hand to Lance and he grabbed it on instinct. How many times had they been training on the Castleship and Keith would have to help him up? Lance had gotten better at his combat, but he doubted he would ever be a match for Keith. The guy had Galra strength though, so that gave him an advantage.

“Are you going to let me carry my bag?” Lance asked, holding it in front of him.

“No, I think you’ve won it so I’ll let you keep it.”

“It’s literally my bag.”

“Just don’t go falling on your ass again and it’ll stay that way.”

They started walking again and Lance made a show of bumping Keith’s shoulder. That led to them shoving each other across the street for a few blocks. They were running into all sorts of people, something Lance had been trying to avoid, but none of it mattered. He could pretend they were somewhere on Earth in one of its big cities. The air might not have that sweet, floral fragrance. The people around them might as well be speaking English, Spanish, or any other Earth tongue instead of rolling and lilting Altean. Lance kept his eyes trained on the dark-clad figure next to him, a smile playing on his lips. Right now it didn’t matter that Lance was on a different planet. Warmth spread through Lance’s chest and sparked where their shoulders touched. It was just him and Keith, and Lance remembered just how easy that was.

“Alteans really know how to make hotels,” Lance gaped as he stepped through the door, Keith right behind him.

Knowing Allura and Coran and living on the Castleship for so long, Lance felt confident enough to say that he knew a fair amount about Altean culture and architecture, but the paladin rooms they had stayed in for so long felt sad and pathetic compared to this dream of a place.

While it was clear that the Alteans favored the white metal of the Castleship in their designs, it seemed to be used mainly for more important places. The hotel, along with the rest of the buildings in the city, were made from finely cut wood and stone, accented by the signature white. Stepping into the room was like stepping into a high end studio apartment. A queen sized bed rested in the corner of the space, fitted with pale blue sheets and a fluffy comforter, plump pillows laying against the dark headboard practically begging Lance to lay down and take a nap. It had been a long day and he could feel his nerves and fatigue getting to him.

Next to the bed was a nightstand that matched the bed frame with a single drawer near the top. A lamp sat on it, simple yet refined. On the wall above it was a wide picture framed in dark wood in contrast to the cream colored walls. It captured a lake with beautiful mountains in the background and wildflowers all around its shore. They weren’t all juniberries, Lance noted. It didn’t make sense for a planet to have only one species of flower, but Allura had only talked about the one. There was a large rug that spread out from under the bed and in front of a window that opened out to look over the street, a dresser sitting beneath it. It wasn’t a bad view.

The space in front of the bed had another rug: circular and with a coffee table in the middle of it, a sofa facing the front wall and a cushioned chair on either side. A lamp sat near the right wall, well in reach of the person sitting closest to it. Lance turned his head and saw an Altean equivalent to a TV mounted to the wall opposite the couch and over a sleek table with a long speaker. This place was absolutely decked out, and it was just a hotel room. Maybe Lance would just make an offer to the owner to buy this space instead of looking for something more permanent. What more would he need here?

“I’m not sure what use you have for it, but this kitchen is pretty sick.”

Lance whipped his head around to see Keith standing in the middle of the small, yet still somehow lavish, kitchen.

“I know you’re implying I can’t cook, but I’ll have you know I’ve learned quite a few things from my Mamá,” Lance defended, though even he had to admit he wouldn’t be using this kitchen to its full extent anytime soon.

The island at its center also functioned as a table, with four backed stools standing around it and a vase full of flowers to liven up the space. They really did look nice, Lance had to admit, even if they were the same pink flowers he had been trying to escape all day.

“Nice to know I’ll be leaving you in the height of luxury,” Keith chuckled, slowly walking a circle around the room. “At least I won’t have to worry about you having to come back to some hovel while you’re here.”

“Aww, worrying about little ol’ me? Who are you and what have you done with the Mullet I know?” Lance grinned as Keith fixed him with a scowl.

“Unfortunately this is what happens when you give people reason to worry about you.” Keith’s raised eyebrow had Lance fixed to the spot. The implication wasn’t wasted on him, but he wasn’t sure what to say. “Seriously Lance, what happened back there?”

“Oh, well…” Lance fidgeted, walking over to the sofa and sitting down. “It was just overwhelming.”

“Just the shock of being on another planet?”

Lance shook his head, already feeling his poor mood returning from earlier. He had promised himself no breakdowns in public, but what could keep him from shattering here on the spot? “Everything about this place—” his words caught in his throat. He looked up at Keith who was watching him with the same attentiveness as always. Somehow, that made it a little easier. “It’s all her.” He was not proud of the way his voice strained.

Something in Keith’s face changed but it was quickly gone. Then he was walking over to Lance and taking a seat next to him, close enough to comfort but far enough to give him some space.

“I thought it would be okay. I was getting better. But… I forgot just how suffocating it is to be surrounded by reminders of what we lost. Losing Allura was difficult, but I think— I think I’ve finally moved past it, at least mostly. It’s just… back home I don’t have to think about her. Here, I can't avoid it.”

Lance wasn’t sure why he kept talking but he couldn’t hide the shame that swelled in him. Just saying the words out loud seemed to hurt him, his chest constricting with each breath. How long had it been since he cried over her? Fallen into a slump because something had reminded him of their time spent together? He missed her, he missed her presence. She made him feel important, made him feel needed. He didn’t want to fall apart whenever she was mentioned or when he heard a laugh like bells. The juniberries shouldn’t carry with them the bitter tang of loneliness. He wanted to see them and think fondly of the time he and Allura had together instead of feeling alone and lost. On Earth he was okay. He would laugh with Pidge and Hunk, Keith would video call, he was back with his family. He had healed a little, but it wasn’t enough. That had been made clear enough.

“I just thought I was getting better, but I guess not.”

The silence in the room was heavy. Lance glanced at the pink flowers on the kitchen island and they seemed to taunt him, their pristine, pink petals brightening up everything but Lance’s mood.

“Grief isn’t easy, especially when you have to face it constantly.” Keith placed a hand in Lance’s knee in comfort and Lance felt a crackle of warmth despite the cool of Keith’s fingers. “Especially here, I can understand how much it would remind you of Allura.”

“It’s not just her!”

Lance froze. He hadn’t meant to say that, didn’t know why he said that. Of course it was Allura. What else would he be so hung up on? He stared, petrified by Keith’s expectant gaze, waiting for Lance to elaborate. He didn’t look surprised, per se, but curious. He wanted to know what was going on inside Lance’s head, and Lance did, too. The image of the Altean castle appeared in his mind, with its white walls and glowing blue accents. The hum of energy on the landing pad vibrating beneath his feet and bringing to mind the lions’ hangers. The translucent holo-screens that were set up to display information. The more he thought about it, he realized that his outburst might have been more accurate than he had anticipated.

“Here reminds me of Voltron, too.” Wow, he didn’t mean for his voice to sound so small and defeated. “I know I still have Red and Blue and all the merch, but sometimes it’s easy for me to forget that any of that happened at all. To think that I’m just a farmer going about my day to day life, like my family does; That maybe I’m not a war hero. Not anymore, at least.”

“You will always be a Paladin of Voltron. No amount of time can take that away from you.” Keith said firmly and Lance grimaced.

“But look at you! Look at Pidge, and Hunk, and Shiro, and Coran! All of you are doing things to help the universe recover and I’m having a breakdown in a hotel room!”

“And I’m here in this hotel room with you. We don’t need to be in constant action. You may not be helping everyone, but you’re recovering, Lance. You can’t help anyone else until you’ve helped yourself, and that takes time.”

“How much time is this going to take from me? I’m not any better than I was six months ago!” Lance could feel the frustration petering out into resignation. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as some heartsick fool.”

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. The fact that you’re currently here on New Altea is proof enough that you’re healing. You remember how I was after we thought we lost Shiro the first time. Compared to me, you’re handling this incredibly well. The first time I saw you a few months ago you said you would never go back into space, yet here you are. You may feel like you’re not getting anywhere, but you’ve come a long way.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Lance muttered bitterly.

“Well then, you’re just going to have to trust me.”

Lance blinked up at Keith, always startled by the firmness with which he spoke. It made Lance feel young, seeking guidance from someone wiser, someone who had never let him down, even if Keith would never be that person. In all of the time Lance had known Keith, he had never proven to be insincere about anything. He may keep his cards close to his chest, but once he lays them out, they’re there for everyone to see. Keith believed in Lance, even when Lance couldn’t say the same about himself.

Lance looked up at Keith. There was a subtle but confident tilt to his lips and a warmth to his eyes. Time seemed to freeze for a moment before speeding back up and Lance was left a little disoriented. In his uniform, Lance was reminded again of the rank he held among the Blade of Marmora, leading efforts to restore the Galra Empire. He was a leader now, more important and experienced than he was in Voltron, but all of what he had just said, that was all Keith. The same Keith he had deemed his rival back at the Garrison and the same Keith who seemed to understand Lance better than he could sometimes.

“Well, good thing you’ve proven to be pretty trustworthy. Otherwise I might not be so inclined.” Lance smiled.

Keith chuckled. “So don’t be too hard on yourself, yeah? You’ll get there.”

Lance only hummed.

Keith looked like he might say something more, but a small light started to flash on his wrist accompanied by a small buzzing noise. It drew both of their attention and Keith frowned. He tapped the light and a holo-screen came to life above it, the strange characters of the Galra scrawled across it. Lance watched as Keith’s eyes skimmed the message before closing it. He sucked in a long breath before blowing it all out into a heavy sigh.

“I told them I was busy today,” he gritted out through his teeth, looking to the ceiling.

“Hey man, if you need to go don’t let me keep you.”

“Normally I’d tell them to wait until I got back but Galra aren’t the most patient.”

“Ah, everything makes sense now,” Lance snickered.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Keith drawled, unimpressed. “But yeah, I’ll have to get going.” He got to his feet. “It was nice seeing you again. Hopefully it won’t be too long until the next time.”

“Yeah, it was a nice surprise.” Lance stood beside him. “If you’re ever in the area, you know where to find me.” Lance held out his hand and Keith clasped it without missing a beat.

“Tell Pidge and Hunk I say hi.”

“Will do.” Lance walked Keith to the door and stood there as he stepped out. “Later, Keith!” Lance said with a mock salute.

“Bye Lance. I’ll call you later.” Keith smiled and returned the gesture. Then he was walking down the hall and disappearing into the elevator.

Lance watched the empty hall for a few more moments before returning inside. It already felt emptier and Lance noted dully that he'd have to get used to it. He didn't know how long he would be staying here, but he certainly wasn’t going to leave in a few days, no matter how much he might want to. He was here to help the Alteans with their memorial of Allura and, hopefully, learn how to move on.

That didn’t make the sudden aloneness any better. His family was big and always doing something around the house. This place was quiet and clean, everything Lance was not used to. He pulled out his phone and started playing some music, hoping to liven up the place a bit. It did much more for the place than the juniberries in the vase, which were starting to irritate Lance again. He walked over to them, frowning, before grabbing the vase and stalking towards the window.

Opening the panes, he swung the vase outside and watched as the pink blooms were flung out along with the water keeping them alive. He stepped back still holding the vase and was about to return it to its place when he heard a loud “FUCK!” From somewhere below, and he was pretty sure he recognized that voice.

Lance rushed over to the window and looked out expecting to see some poor Altean standing there covered in water and flowers. Instead he saw Keith standing there, frozen in place with his arms slightly out and his legs in a wide stance. His hair was completely drenched and hung in front of his face, some of the juniberries stuck in the dark strands while the others laid around him on the street. Lance bit down on a smile, a bit relieved that he hadn’t just dumped flowers on some poor stranger.

Keith’s head snapped up, searching for whoever had assaulted him with the contents of a bouquet. He looked like he had no idea what to do, standing there covered in flowers and water. It was oddly endearing and the pink of the juniberries added for some bright contrast to his dark and mysterious Blade getup. All around him passers by cast glances, a few snickering into their hands as they walked past.

“Sorry Keith!” Lance called down to him.

At the sound of his name Keith’s attitude shifted instantly. Even from the second story Lance could see his posture relax a bit and his eyes found Lance’s not long after. He gestured with his hand to his hair and the flowers that surrounded him and Lance just gave a helpless shrug.

“You could have just thrown them in the sink!”

“But then I would have never gotten to see what you look like with flowers in your hair.”

Keith scowled before reaching up, startling when his hand brushed a petal. Lance watched him heave a sigh before raising the finger Lance’s way and striding back towards the port. Lance just chuckled to himself.

The rest of the afternoon he spent in his room, getting acquainted with the space and unpacking his things. While the TV had excellent resolution and the sound system was incredible, all of the shows were in Altean. Even with Allura’s parting gift of Altean marks, they did not bestow him with the ability to understand the language, something much more useful than the glowy blue triangles he got instead.

Later that night as he ventured through the streets in search of food, Lance passed by a flower shop selling arrangements much like the one that had been in Lance’s room. They were still Allura’s favorite flower, but now they conjured a different image: pink petals tangled in black hair. It brought a smile to Lance’s face. There was no doubt that Lance had a ways to go before he was completely healed, but he was getting better. Keith made it better, a fact that Lance could no longer deny to himself. It terrified him as much as it ignited a spark in his chest.

Chapter Text

The mid-morning air was warm enough for Lance to consider peeling off his favorite green jacket, the one he had stubbornly kept with him all this time. He would have to look at replacing it soon, Lance noted duly as he fiddled with the fraying threads on the cuffs of his sleeves and felt the breeze blowing through the worn fabric on his elbows. It was a shame, really. He liked this jacket a lot. Lance still wasn’t fully used to the fact that it was the equivalent to mid summer here on New Altea. It was probably nearing the end of winter back on Earth, and the lacking cold was not lost on Lance.

A shadow passed over him as he stepped through a set of large gates, their gleaming white walls shining in the sunlight. Before him, the castle stood tall and magnificent, familiar now but still brought back memories of the old Altean castle. Back when he was Lance, the Blue — and later, Red — Paladin, member of Voltron, Keith’s right hand. It still bothered him sometimes how useless he had let himself become, no matter how many people denied it. But he was changing that. Here, he was being useful. Each day he passed through these gates, it got a little easier.

Lance looked up the front steps of the castle and immediately spotted a figure standing at the top, bright orange hair standing out magnificently against the sleek white of the castle and bushy mustache as pristine as ever.

“Coran Coran, my man!” Lance called, taking the steps two at a time to reach the older Altean faster. “How are you this fine morning?”

“I’m just swell,” Coran said with an amused smile hidden beneath his facial hair, “Now, what’s got you in such a good mood?”

“Nuthin’ much,” Lance shrugged a little too nonchalantly, trying to tamper his excitement. “Just that I’m almost broke now buuut I got these cool keys!” Lance brandished the objects in question, dangling them from his fingers in front of Coran’s face with a proud smile on his face. As he expected, Coran frowned at the keys, visibly trying to figure out what they meant.

“Lance, I thought you knew how to spend wisely,” Coran said, clearly disappointed. “You’ve been working for months to save up for a more permanent dwelling, you can’t just waste it all on a set of keys.”

Lance watched the other man, waiting for him to make the connection. Coran continued to study him, his eyes flitting between Lance and the keys, still confused. Lance was about to just give up and tell him when surprise bloomed across Coran’s face.

“Oh Lance, that’s magnificent!” His exclamation rang across the front steps, his eyes absolutely alight with pride. “Is it the small house near the lake that you had been looking at?”

“Yep-O!” Lance whooped, pumping his fist in the air. “This Lance has got himself his first house! On a different planet!” He laughed out loud, his excitement fueled by Coran’s enthusiasm.

“Congratulations, my boy. I knew you’d get there.”

“And even better: Keith, Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro are coming over later today to see it! You should come, too.”

“I’d love to see the place, but unfortunately I am needed here today.” Coran looked apologetic but Lance understood. Whenever he wasn’t out with Hunk and Shiro growing the coalition, he assisted the royal family as they integrated with the rest of the universe.

“No problem.” Lance swung the keys around his finger a few times before stashing them back in his pocket. “Just let me know when you’re up for a visit and I’ll show you around. For now, I gotta skedaddle. See you later Coran!”

“Send the others my regards!” Coran called as Lance danced down the stairs, careful not to trip and break his face. With one final wave to the older Altean, Lance started to jog down the street. He had lunch to make and a house to get back to. He couldn’t wait to share his first big achievement with his friends.

“Wow Lance, this place is pretty sweet!” Pidge exclaimed, unceremoniously pushing open the door and sparing a moment only to toe off their shoes before they marched off into the small house to investigate.

“Don’t wreck anything!” Hunk called after them, stepping across the threshold to stand beside Lance.

“Yeah yeah,” came their muffled reply from down the hallway.

“No respect,” Lance sighed dramatically, shaking his head.

“This is a very nice place, Lance,” Shiro said, walking in after them.

“Shiro!” Lance threw his arms up as the other man closed the door. “Man, it’s been so long!”

“It really has.” Shiro chuckled, placing a firm hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Things have been busy, but it seems like you've done quite a bit.”

Lance couldn’t help the pride that bloomed in his chest at Shiro’s praise. Despite their time apart, Shiro had almost felt like a father figure for their makeshift Voltron family, and before that he was Lance’s idol, his hero, so any words of affirmation from him had Lance feeling like a cadet again, trying to make his commanders proud.

“Yeah? I guess you could say that.” He turned to Hunk. “So bud, whatcha think of the place?” He gestured around the living and kitchen space at the light walls and hardwood floors.

There were nice windows on most of the walls that looked out over the lake and the lush landscape around it. An incredibly soft rug covered the floor of the living space, or what Lance was calling a living space. There really wasn’t much in the house yet considering he had just bought it. He had managed to get his hands on a dining table and a handful of chairs that all matched well enough. There was a stiff sofa against one of the walls that was too low but would work well enough for now. He planned to furnish the whole place soon.

“This is really cool, Lance,” Hunk beamed, looking around the space from where he was standing. “It’s still shocking to think that you bought this place. That’s pretty incredible.”

“It really is, Lance.” Shiro confirmed.

“Lance, how much did you pay for this place?” Pidge called from somewhere further in. “It’s massive!”

“It’s really not, Pidge. It’s a three bed, two bath.”

“Why do you need this much space!?” They appeared back in the doorway, glasses glinting and set a little askew on their nose, presumably from dashing through all of the rooms.

“Well, I was thinking of inviting some of my family up eventually. I think they’d like it here.”

“But that still doesn’t answer how the hell you bought this!”

“I’ve been working with Coran at the castle and they’ve been paying me a bit.” Lance shrugged.

“You’ve been here for three months!”

“What can I say? Altean currency is a little weird.”

Pidge was about to comment something back when there was a knock on the door. Almost as if it were an automatic response, Lance felt his heart kick into overdrive, something that had started happening whenever he saw a certain Black Paladin. Lance spun around and flung the door open, revealing exactly who he expected.

“Hey Lance,” Keith said, waving his hand in greeting.

“You made it!” Lance grinned brightly, trying to determine if his words came out breathy or if it was just his imagination.

For once Keith wore regular clothes and not his Blade uniform, though Lance couldn’t deny that looked good clad in black and purple form-fitting suit. Now he was wearing a pair of black denim jeans and a grey T-shirt, a jacket Lance hadn’t seen before tied around his waist, probably taken off because of the warming Altean sun. Keith’s hair looked shorter than the last time they saw each other.

“Hey, did you get a haircut?” Lance asked, reaching out to touch the dark strands which, Lance found, were incredibly soft and not at all greasy like Lance always joked about. That’s just not fair, Lance thought to himself, he can’t have a mullet and nice hair!

“Uh, yeah. I trimmed it up when I accidentally got it caught in my suit.” Keith’s face flushed as he explained, his hand reaching to rub at the back of his neck.

“And you couldn’t just get rid of the mullet all together?”

“You seem rather obsessed with my hair. Why would I rob you of that?”

Lance opened his mouth to retort but Pidge interrupted their banter.

“I thought you said we were having lunch?”

Lance spun around and saw his three friends watching him and Keith, Shiro and Hunk with contemplative expressions while Pidge just looked plain bored, uninterested now that they didn’t have a house to explore anymore.

“That’s right, we are.” Lance strode from the door and into the kitchen. Hunk, Pidge and Shiro greeted Keith while Lance got to work finishing up what he had prepared.

It also gave him a moment to calm his erratic heartbeat. When things shifted, Lance couldn’t say. He had always watched Keith, for as long as he could remember, but now he watched him with a different feeling in his chest. Admiration, sure, but there was more to it than that. Keith didn’t have to do anything but exist and that was enough to send a flurry of butterflies to erupt in his stomach. He would smile at anything Keith did and didn’t say, then feel like an idiot afterwards. It was frustrating, but not new to Lance. He had forgotten about it, almost: an inkling of a memory lingering in the back of his mind, when blue suddenly became red and pretty indigo eyes searched his for advice. It was something that he thought had died out, and it sent fear tingling down his spine when he tried to think about it. He had found it exciting back then, like a locked door finally opening to reveal something special inside. He should have known better.

With a huff, promptly shaking the thoughts from his head, Lance opened the oven and pulled out a covered dish. “Voila!”

He threw off the aluminum foil and regretted his decision as the hot metal sheet burned his hand, doing his best not to wince as he brandished his tray of freshly baked empanadas. Steam curled off of them and their aroma filled the room, bringing a smile to Lance’s face. While he didn’t cook often, he had been practicing his technique in hopes that he could surprise his friends.

“You made those?” Pidge marveled as Lance set down the tray.

“Why does no one believe I can cook?”

“No offense buddy, but I’ve never seen you in a kitchen unless it was to eat the food already there.” Hunk commented, hesitant, avoiding eye contact. Pidge’s enthusiastic nod only backed up his point further.

“Well I can’t always have a personal Hunk to cook for me.”

“I think they look great, Lance. Thank you again for inviting us.” Shiro took a seat at the table.

A chorus of ‘thank you’s came from the others as they followed suit. Pidge cast a predatory glance towards the empanadas, betraying their eagerness to get their hands on some of them. Lance chuckled, setting out plates and taking a seat himself.

Lunch was a lively affair. Being together like this again, Lance might as well have been back among a family he had not seen in a long time. Different from when they returned to Earth, when Lance rushed into his family’s open arms to be enveloped in their loving and safe embrace. Here, Lance let himself breathe, slipping into the casual conversation that circulated around the table, his table. His Mamá had always told him that food brings people together. Lance thought back to one of their first days as paladins, all of them seated around the long, Altean dining table staring down at their plates of food goo, the very stuff that was being flung across the dining hall only moments later.

Unconsciously, Lance found his gaze resting on Keith where he sat across the table next to Shiro. A smile parted his lips as he listened to whatever story Shiro was telling. Lance didn’t know when he had stopped paying attention. Right now he could only focus on the way Keith’s smile reminded him of all the times Lance had made it bloom across his face, recently and in the past, how he had gotten used to Keith’s easy smiles, the ones that crackled with laughter or dripped with sarcasm or the fond tilt of his lips that shouldn’t mean much but sent butterflies fluttering through Lance’s stomach all the same. Keith had a nice smile, and more and more often Lance found himself craving to be on the receiving end of it.

As if Keith had heard his thoughts, his eyes flicked over to Lances. Surprise flitted through them when he found Lance already staring at him and Lance felt a spike of panic surge through him. What excuse did he have for staring? Why was he still staring? His face grew warm and his shoulders tensed, ready to be called out or, at the very least, ignored. Instead, Keith surprised him and his smile widened with the crinkling of his eyes as he looked back into Lance’s for what could have been only a second, a heartbeat, an hour — Lance couldn’t say. But then Keith was looking away, back to Shiro while something in Lance’s chest twisted painfully, squeezing the breath from his lungs.

He subtly tried to appear more at ease, opting for another empanada. He kept his eyes trained on the dish, then on the pastry in his hand. One bite, two bites, his heart rate started to slow and his muscles relaxed. Keith was still Keith, that much had stayed the same, but that meant something to Lance now. He wanted to be at the center of Keith’s attention, even if it overwhelmed him and left him floundering, sinking in a sea or floating helplessly through the space-like pull of Keith’s gaze. He had always wanted that. But it felt different now. Different like…

“Lance.”

Lance looked up when he heard Keith’s voice and his eyes immediately found his. Why did it feel like Keith could read his thoughts? No. Lance quickly averted his eyes and took another furious bite of empanada.

“Hm?”

“Where’s the bathroom here?” Keith asked, sending Lance a strange look. Lance mentally kicked himself. What was wrong with him?

“Oh, yeah. It’s just around the corner. Here, I’ll show you.” Lance got to his feet and walked into the hallway, Keith following behind him.

“Thanks,” Keith nodded to him before disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Standing in the hallway Lance took a second to breathe. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He shouldn’t get flustered anytime Keith so much as looked at him. They were good now: friends. Things were easy between them. But now Lance felt like he was on his way to screwing it up again, like always. Good things between him and Keith never stuck around for long before. He sure as hell wasn’t going to push his luck now.

Lance found three pairs of eyes trained on him as he sat back down at the table, each with varying levels of curiosity and speculation. He was a little taken aback by this sudden change in atmosphere and it made him uneasy.

“What’s up?” He asked, trying to figure it out.

“Something’s with you.” Pidge said, “Spill.” Pidge’s words were clipped and straight to the point, though he didn’t know what it was.

“What do you mean?”

“The way you look at him! He might as well be the whole goddamn universe for you to look at him like that.”

And… Lance was still lost. Were they talking about Keith? What were they implying?

“I think that was too direct, Pidge,” Shiro said, observing Lance from his seat next to him.

“Normally that’s the only way he understands things.” They frowned, narrowing their eyes at Shiro. That Lance understood perfectly well.

“Hey!” He said defensively.

“What Pidge is trying to ask,” Hunk interjected before Pidge could say anything else, “is if there’s anything up with you and Keith.”

Lance pursed his lips. “Why?” He asked, though his long silence betrayed his reluctance to answer. Pidge dropped their head onto the table in frustration.

“Lance, you don’t really do… subtle, and we can tell that something’s up.”

Lance had heard that before.

“I know I haven’t been around a whole lot recently, but I had heard from Keith that you two were better now,” Shiro said, studying Lance. Pidge raised their head, mouth already open to comment something but Hunk shot them a warning glance. They dropped their head once again with a loud sigh.

“No, we are!” Lance said hurriedly. “We’ve been better, for a long time.”

“Then what is it?”

Lance froze. Wasn’t that a great question. There was almost no doubt in his mind that he knew the answer, but he didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to lay himself bare before his friends before he could even acknowledge it himself. He looked to Hunk for help, wishing his friend didn’t have the same expectant look. They were waiting for him. No one else could answer for him this time.

“I’m scared of screwing it up.” Lance exhaled, clenching his fists in his lap.

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked.

“Well-”

An aggressive buzzing erupted from Shiro’s phone just then, startling all four of them and causing Shiro himself to jump. He fished for the device and that’s when Lance realized that Shiro’s ringtone was actually a shit-quality version of the theme from Voltron the animated series.

“Shiro, why is that your ringtone?” Pidge snorted, looking close to bursting with laughter.

“What? I kind of like it,” he said with a frown as he opened his phone. Almost immediately his expression changed, his face becoming carefully neutral as a rosy tint covered his cheeks. “Hello?” He said, lifting the phone to his ear.

Pidge caught Lance’s eye from across the table, their eyes wide as they dramatically looked to Shiro and back to Lance, the ‘are you seeing what I’m seeing?’ strongly implied. Lance shrugged, and they went back to watching Shiro intensely as he talked to the mysterious person on his phone.

A chair scraped against the ground as Keith sat back down, looking around the silent table with a confused look on his face.

“What’d I miss?” He mouthed.

“Shiro’s on the phone,” Lance mouthed back. That earned him the most unimpressed, blank stare ever, and he had to bite down on a grin.

“Sorry about that,” Shiro coughed, returning his phone to his pocket. “What were we talking about?”

“Who was that, Shiro?” Pidge asked, deceptively indifferent. Lance saw the mischievous gleam in their eyes. He also saw the raging blush that consumed Shiro’s face.

“N-no one.” Shiro stammered, raising a hand to cover his mouth.

“It doesn’t sound like ‘no one’,” Lance chimed in. While he had just been on the receiving end of his friends’ interrogation, all bets were off now that they were prying into someone else’s life. Even if that someone else was Shiro.

“Seriously,” Shiro huffed, fishing out his phone again and pulling up a contact before shoving it in their faces. “You all know Curtis. He worked on the ATLAS with us. He called about a clarification. Happy?”

“Oh, the guy you have a massive crush on?”

All heads turned to Keith, sitting there casual as ever and picking at the paper napkin balled up on his plate like he didn’t just drop some mind-shattering information.

“I do not have a crush on him!” Shiro defended, barely able to finish his sentence before the room became very loud.

“What!” Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all cried at the same time, looking between the two black paladins.

“Oh please, last time I called you I heard more about Curtis than I did about you. If that’s not what having a crush looks like, then I don’t know what is,” Keith continued, pleased with the flustered Shiro slowly deflating onto the table.

“I–” Shiro tried to retort.

“Hold on hold on hold on,” Lance cut in, waving his arms around, “Are you telling me that you knew about this,” He pointed an accusatory finger at Keith, “and didn’t tell me?” Lance said in mock outrage that was only a little bit real.

“Or me? You tell me about all your stupid paperwork but not something as important as this?” Pidge planted their hands on the table, about ready to spring on either Keith or Shiro with a boat load of questions.

“Yeah!” Lance copied their stance. “What they said.”

“I’m not crushing on Curtis,” Shiro groaned, “He’s a good friend and we work together.”

“Aw, but that’s like, super cute,” Hunk said encouragingly, clasping his hands in front of himself.

“Why do I even try at this point?” Shiro gave up all attempt at keeping it together and fully collapsed on the table, narrowly missing his plate.

“Aw, come on, man. Don’t be embarrassed. Remember all those times you made fun of me when I flirted with all those alien chicks?” Lance said, internally cringing at the memory. Man, had he been lame back then.

“And how often you guys poked fun at me about Shay?” Hunk added, his own cheeks taking on a rosy tint just mentioning the Balmeran’s name. Last Lance heard, she was cooking alongside Hunk on the ATLAS for diplomatic missions alongside Romelle and a few other aliens who shared Hunk’s passion for bringing people together with food.

“Or Keith and I about how unapproachable we are with people,” Pidge nodded.

Shiro raised his head, looking a bit more at ease and less defensive, an honestly strange look on Shiro, Lance had to admit.

“See? Now we get to pester you about your pining.” Lance grinned. “Everything comes full circle.”

“I’m not pining.” Shiro frowned. Pidge looked like they were going to push it, but Hunk beat them to it.

“Either way, how is Curtis?” He asked, genuinely interested.

Shiro relaxed a little, an easy smile spreading across his face. “He’s good. We’ve been busy on the ATLAS, trying to coordinate Coalition stuff, but you know that.” Shiro ran his mechanical hand through his hair, ruffling the white strands. At that moment, Lance realized just how old Shiro looked, tired and worn down. This man lived through so much already and he wasn’t even thirty yet. “I know I’ve gotten better about hyper fixating on my duties since our time in Voltron, but Curtis often has to remind me to take breaks.” A fond look passed over Shiro’s face as he gazed down at the table and Lance really wanted to point out that someone doesn’t look like that if they’re not pining, but he kept his mouth shut. “Honestly, I’m glad he’s there to look out for me because I know I don’t do it as much as I should. I can tell he really cares. He’s good company and it’s nice to have someone looking out for me, Y’know?”

Silence fell around the table as all four of them stared at Shiro, who remained lost in fond memories, Lance presumed. They all shared a collective, knowing look. Shiro might not want to admit it, but it was clear that Curtis meant much more to him than he was letting on. To think that Shiro had finally found someone he could relax around, to let his guard down and forget about the war and everything, Lance thought that was pretty lucky.

“Did you guys see the look on his face? That man is in love,” Pidge declared, throwing themself on the couch, baggy shirt and pants hanging from their small frame.

Lance grabbed another handful of chips from the large bowl on the ground. “It’s a shame he’s too stubborn to admit it.”

“What if he just doesn’t know it yet?” Hunk looked a little skeptical of his own words even as he said them. “I mean, it can be difficult to realize feelings for a friend, right?”

Lance’s gaze shot to Keith, against his better judgment, to where he sat on the ground against the couch, one knee up and his arm draped over it casually. This was the most at ease Lance had seen Keith since the couple of days he spent staying at Lance’s home. He looked comfortable, unconcerned, wearing his trademark black shirt with a pair of grey sweats, both of which looked like they had seen better days. He, Pidge, and Hunk were staying the night, per Pidge’s insistence that “They have to make sure the house is sleepable”, whatever that meant. Lance had grown accustomed to living by himself for a few months now but he still enjoyed the company, especially his friends. Shiro would have stayed but he had a meeting early the next morning. Lance understood but it would have been nice to have him here. Even without Shiro, sitting together with his friends in their pajamas, blankets and pillows thrown around the furniture, it brought Lance back to their days on the castle ship. Except this time they were not stranded in space or the only other humans around. Now, they were together because they wanted to be, because the bond that had formed between them still held strong.

“Lance, you alright man?” Hunk asked, sitting down next to him with a small thud.

“Hm, what?” Lance asked, blinking himself back into the present to find everyone’s eyes on him again. Specifically Keith’s, which were looking straight back at Lance, confused. Shit. How long had he been staring? Quickly ripping his gaze away, he hurriedly turned to Hunk with all of his being, hoping to any deity out there that he looked casual, because right now he felt awkward as hell. If the slight frown Hunk sent him was any indication, they all could see it, too.

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Lance stammered, forcing a smile over his face that probably made him appear only more suspicious, “It’s been a long day.”

Hunk’s expression melted instantly, shifting from doubtful to understanding in the blink of an eye. “Aw, Lance. If you’re tired we don’t have to stay up late.”

“No! I want to spend time with you guys. It makes me feel better.”

“Aw, does someone actually like us?” Pidge cooed, draping themself over the side of the couch between Lance and Hunk, jabbing their finger playfully into Lance’s cheek.

“Regrettably,” He grumbled, swatting their hand away. “Though I might reconsider.”

“Nope. Can’t do that.” They shook their head. “You’d have no other friends.”

“How rude!” Lance scoffed, “You might find yourself off my list, but I’ll still have Hunk and Keith.”

“And why would you think I’d stick around with you?”

Lance whipped around so he could stare, wide eyed and affronted, at Keith who smiled smugly from a few feet away. He rolled his eyes, amused at Keith’s ignorance.

“Oh Keith, my man, you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” He scooted all of three feet until he was pressed up against Keith, getting in his space and blinking innocently as he slung a friendly arm over the other man’s shoulders. “I’m like a leech, a parasite, feeding off of your broody personality and terrible hair.”

“Ew, Lance.” Keith cringed. “That’s disgusting.”

“You two are disgusting.” Pidge groaned, kicking Lance’s head.

“Pidge Pidge Pidge, you will never understand the bond we share.”

“I don’t think I want to.” They scrunched up their face.

“I think it’s sweet,” Hunk chuckled, “I mean, you two always used to be at each other’s throats, so it’s nice to see you two this close now.”

“Not to mention Keith’s lonely ass would be lost without you,” Pidge cackled.

“I’m around plenty of people at the Blade!” Keith defended.

“Oh yeah, but how many of those Blades do you take time out of every day to talk to?”

Keith froze and Lance giggled at the adorable flush that had colored his cheeks. Keith had always been fun to rile up and Lance delighted in the pensive furrow of his eyebrows and the way his lips pursed and…

Did he just think of Keith as adorable? No. He definitely did not. The look on Keith’s face was not adorable. He looked mildly offended, a laughable expression on him, and that’s what it made Lance want to do. Lance wanted to laugh at him because he looked so disgruntled, fondness welling up in his chest as he watched him…

No. No no no no no. His body tensed, acutely aware of how he was all but draped across the other man’s side, arm thrown loosely over his shoulder. Had Keith seen the way Lance had looked at him? Could he feel the warmth of Lance’s face burning through his shirt sleeve? Lance sat up straighter, stiff and hyper aware of every movement he made. He aimed for nonchalance and if Keith noticed he didn’t show it, but the hammering of Lance’s heart — from anxiety or something else, Lance refused to think about it — was bearing a strong resemblance to the shifting of tectonic plates. How could it go unnoticed? With frustrating reluctance, Lance withdrew his arm from around Keith’s shoulders and settled it carefully in his lap.

He should think nothing of it. Friends think of each other as cute all the time. Cute, funny, attractive… of course. He knew Shiro, and that man had some dashingly good looks. No one could argue that. It didn’t have to mean anything. What did it matter that he had nice eyes or that his shirt stretched over his shoulders in a way that Lance hadn’t noticed before. Maybe he wasn’t looking then. Why was he looking now? Shit. Fuck. Lance’s siblings had always told him he gets over dramatic about the most mundane things, so why get all worked up over this? So what if Lance thought of Keith as cute from time to time? Hunk did cute things, so did Pidge. Why should Keith be any different? These were normal-person, platonic, and totally reasonable thoughts for Lance to have. So why did it feel like he was trying to deceive himself?

At some point Hunk had pulled up a cooking show on the large holo-screen TV and the three of them laughed at each other as they tried to guess what the chefs were cooking up. Sitting in the dark, illuminated by the holoscreen as cooking show after cooking show droned through the room, Lance noted the pleased smile on Hunk’s face as he watched avidly, occasionally muttering ingredients or other commentary to himself. Pidge kicked their legs back and forth in the air, laying on their stomach and building a tower out of popcorn, not paying attention in the slightest but perfectly content. With caution, Lance chanced a look at Keith. He had his resting glare trained on the screen, watching intently as some aliens tried to beat together what might have been cookie dough. It stretched the truth to call Keith relaxed, but it came close. Sitting at Lance’s side, almost pressed up against him, Lance couldn’t help but let his eyes linger. He had been by Keith’s side for so long now it felt easy, it felt natural. Did Keith feel the same?

“I can hear you thinking, Lance.” Keith’s muttered comment barely registered with Lance until Keith looked up at him, appearing far too aware for Lance’s liking. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” Lance replied all too quickly.

“You’re a terrible liar, Lance,” Pidge cut in, not bothering to look away from their popcorn structure.

“It’s nothing important. My mind tends to wander when it’s not doing anything.”

“Yes, but it’s being… unusually loud.”

Lance frowned at Keith. “What’s that supposed to mean? Can your Galra ears hear the neurons firing in my brain or something?”

“Forget I asked,” Keith huffed, slouching further against the couch.

“Aw Keith, did I hurt your feelings?” Lance teased, poking the other in the side of his head.

“No,” came the grumbled reply, a top tier scowl now trained solely on Lance.

“I’m sorry man. I meant no harm.”

“I just said you didn’t.”

“Ah, it must have been my normal, human ears.”

“Lance.”

“Is this what you guys do everyday on the phone?” Pidge’s bored drawl broke the silence as a piece of popcorn hit Lance on the cheek before bouncing to the ground. A second one followed it, nailing Keith right on the forehead.

“C’mon Pidge,” Hunk tried to reason, “They’re doing their weird bickering thing. Leave them be.”

“Weird bickering thing?” Lance sounded out, scrunching up his face.

“I’m not even going to ask what that’s supposed to mean,” Keith sighed, letting his head fall back onto the couch.

“It means that your talking is distracting us from the show!” Pidge exclaimed, flinging their arm out to gesture at the screen where a very distraught chef sat staring at their dish as if they had received some terrible news about it.

“Are you even watching it?” Lance countered, pretty confident that he knew the answer.

They narrowed their eyes. “Regardless, I’d rather listen to violent Altean than your argument about ears.”

“Alright alright. We’ll shut up, right Keith?”

“You started it,” Keith sighed, though it looked like he didn’t really care.

“Yeah yeah, potato tomato,” Lance plucked the piece of popcorn from the floor and flicked it back at Pidge.

“Thank you. Now, Lance, ” they grabbed the empty bowl and thrust it in his direction, “Make us more popcorn.”

After much grumbling on his part, he found himself standing in front of the microwave, watching the small packet of popcorn spin round and round under the warm light. The humm of the appliance filled the kitchen.

“Hey buddy.”

Lance jumped at the sound of Hunk’s voice. The microwave was not quite loud enough to drown out the voices from the cooking show in the other room, but apparently enough to conceal Hunk’s heavy footfalls as he came into the kitchen.

“Oh, hey. Did you need something?” Lance asked.

“Water.”

It took a few attempts but Lance found the glasses in one of the cabinets and handed it to Hunk. “Water’s in the fridge.”

Lance faced the microwave again, waiting patiently for the first pop of popcorn from within. Only when he started focusing did he realize that the fridge door never opened, nor did he hear Hunk move. Sure enough, Hunk was still standing where he had been before when Lance turned to check. He had conflict in his eyes as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking a little uncomfortable.

“What’s up?”

Hunk chewed on his lip. His hesitation made Lance skeptical. Hunk always told Lance what he needed to say, no matter what it was.

“Is… there something you need to tell us? Or me?”

“Uh, I think you need to answer that. You’re standing in my kitchen like you have a terrible sin to confess.”

“Well…”

Lance’s jaw fell slack. “Oh my gosh Hunk, that was a joke! What did you do?”

“No no no, none of that. That’s not what I meant,” Hunk clarified, though Lance remained skeptical. “Just… I don’t know how to say this. Umm…” Hunk pressed his hands together in front of him, focusing on them in the most serious way Lance had ever seen from Hunk. “You and Keith, right? I’ll start with that. Is there anything you have to say about the two of you?”

Lance froze under Hunk’s inquisitive stare. Hunk knew something. He had to. Why would he ask otherwise? Lance’s mind raced. What did Hunk know? Wait, there was nothing for Hunk to know.

“No?” Why was his voice so high? He sounded suspicious. Why did he sound like he was guilty of something? “What do you mean?”

“Alright, I’m going straight to the point then.” Despite this claim, Hunk remained quiet, looking for all the world like he wanted to run back to the living room and continue watching alien cooking shows. Lance puttied him a little, just like he wished he knew what Hunk was trying to say because so many possibilities swirled around his mind, each worse than the last.

“You and Keith are friends, yeah?” Hunk didn’t wait for an answer, saying this more as a lead-in than a question, Lance found out when his reply was cut off. “I know there’s a lot of history there, but has something changed between the two of you?”

And because Lance always reacted well to being caught off guard, he said simply, “huh?”

Hunk sighed, breaking his posture and slumping a bit. “I should have had Pidge do this,” he muttered. If Lance had to say anything about Hunk, though, the guy was determined and saw things through, and it appeared that this conversation was no different. “Initially Pidge pointed out how close you and Keith have gotten, but anyone can see it. I know this isn’t really my business, but you’ve been acting strange around him today. Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong,” Lance said defensively, “You were there when Shiro said the same thing. Why do you guys keep asking that? Keith and I are fine.”

“We’ve told you: you’re not the subtle type, and we can tell something’s off.” Hunk’s voice took on a softer tone and he walked over, placing his hand on Lance’s shoulder, a comforting weight. “You’re not quite acting like yourself, Lance.”

Did he really act differently around Keith now? If anything, Lance would say he’s been recovering from the war and this was the most normal he’s felt in a long time. “This is how I’ve always been, Hunk. I’m not acting any different around Keith than I used to. So can you please tell me why this caught your attention?”

“Well, I guess that’s about right,” Hunk muttered under his breath, “But that doesn’t answer my question. Has something changed between you two?”

Lance thought back to their phone calls, the way he smiled around Keith and the way Keith smiled back, their playful banter. How the two of them could read each other, even from across a screen, light years away. It wasn’t new, yet now that Hunk got him thinking about it, he and Keith hadn’t always been this close. Quite the opposite, really. And now…

“I don’t know,” Lance admitted, relenting to lay his thoughts bare before Hunk. “I can’t tell if something’s changed, but I don’t want it to.”

“Even if it’s a good change?”

“That’s not guaranteed.”

“I see the way you two look at each other, Lance; the way you act around each other. It’s obvious to anyone who watches you two for more than five minutes that you both want something more.”

“Do we?” Lance snapped. The shocked look on Hunk’s face led Lance to collect himself, to get his spiking heartbeat back under control. It wasn’t fair for Lance to take out his confusion and frustration on Hunk. “I’m sorry. Just… I don’t even know what I think or feel at the moment, and I don’t want Keith wrapped up in all of this, at the very least until I figure myself out.”

“I didn’t mean to pressure you, Lance,” Hunk said, apologetic. “Talking things over used to help you make sense of things," I remembered, so I wanted to give you that option.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Though I could have gone about it differently. Normally you come to me and I don’t have to coax things out of you.”

Lance’s heart swelled. No matter how over-the-place Lance could get, Hunk always stood by him, a solid, steady pillar that kept him from spiraling out of control. Sometimes Lance forgot about that. He took Hunk for granted too often, and in moments like these Lance really appreciated the bug guy sticking by him no matter what.

“Don’t worry about it. Thank you, Hunk.” Lance smiled at him, and, because the moment called for it, he flung his arms around Hunk’s shoulders. Or, as far as he could, at least. “Thank you for being there for me.”

“As long as I know you’re okay, Lance, I’ll let you figure everything out.”

The microwave beeped, startling them both.

“I’ll grab that,” Lance said, opening the microwave door to the luxurious smell of movie theater popcorn. Hunk’s footsteps trailed out of the kitchen as Lance refilled the bowl.

“What were you guys talking about?” Lance heard Pidge say as he walked back into the room. He tensed, but to his relief, Hunk only shrugged.

“Was just checking up on Lance.”

Lance’s chest warmed. “Alright everyone. Your lord and savior has come!” He set the bowl on the floor and Pidge practically dove at it, creating a spectacle for the rest of them.

As the show started up again, the four of them lapsed into a comfortable quiet as it played. Something about sitting together here on Lance’s living room floor triggered a memory. Countless times they had sat around in the rec room aboard the Castle of Lions, all on that weird, round couch after training or between battles. Lance sighed with contentment. So much of what led to them sitting here together had to do with the war, with Zarkon, with Voltron, but Lance let himself imagine what might have happened if they had never been dragged into all this. Maybe in a different reality the four of them ended up like this without Zarkon, without the war, without having to lose loved ones. Maybe Shiro would be here with them, happily sitting next to Adam. Maybe Pidge would never have experienced their dad and brother disappearing. But too many things happened a certain way to bring them all here, to this moment — with Pidge expanding their empire of popcorn and Hunk occasionally commenting on the poor decisions made by the Altean chefs on the screen, with Keith next to Lance, arms pressed together and a contentedness in his eyes.

Later, when Hunk had dozed off and was snoring soundly on the couch, Keith nudged Lance’s shoulder with his own. “What’s in your mind?” He asked for the second time. When Lance turned to Keith he noticed the small smile on his lips, one he wasn’t aware he was even wearing.

“Oh, uh,” Lance pursed his lips, trying to chase away the blatant emotion. “I missed everyone being around, I guess.”

“I think I did, too.” Keith hummed. He looked around the room and Lance saw his eyes settle first on Pidge, then on Hunk, before circling back around to Lance with that captivating gaze of his. “There’s something about you, a way of bringing people together.”

Lance bristled. He never brought people together, he clung to them — to Hunk and Pidge; to his family; to Coran and Shiro; to Allura; to Keith — all because he didn’t want to let them go. Lance only held them down.

“I think you’re overestimating me,” he said solemnly, trying to keep the sting from his voice.

“No, Lance,” Keith said firmly, “I didn’t realize what I was missing when you pulled away from everyone, but the rest of us had started to drift apart as well, caught up in our own lives.” Keith fingered the hem of his pajama pants, no longer looking Lance’s way. The trace of fondness remained in the set of his mouth, the gentle tilt to his lips that Lance had trouble dragging his eyes away from. “Then you came back to us, and it’s almost like everything's back like how it used to be.”

The breath stilled in Lance’s lungs when Keith’s eyes met his again, dark and violet and crystalline and beautiful. Maybe in a different reality their lives would have been less painful, less essential, but Lance wouldn’t trade this one for anything. They all fought so hard to be able to experience this, to enjoy the mundane with one another, and no matter how many times he was given the choice Lance knew he would always choose this life over any other.

A weight landed on Lance’s shoulder and he blinked awake. At some point he had started to doze off, and now the room was dark. Hunk had remained curled up on the chair and Pidge now laid asleep on the ground, spindly limbs sprawled every which way and glasses askew on their head. Keith had fallen asleep sitting next to Lance, his knees folded up and leaning against Lance’s own. His head had fallen to rest against Lance’s shoulder and he could feel Keith’s hair against his neck. Lance still didn’t know what he felt towards Keith, but his impulse got the better of him and he lifted a blanket around the both of them, adjusting his position so Keith’s head rested in the crook of Lance’s neck. Lance might be half asleep, but he thought he felt Keith lean into him more, curling up against his side, and Lance’s heart fluttered in his chest. He couldn’t say what they would make of this come morning, but he would deal with it when the time came. Content to sleep with the warm press of Keith’s body against his side, Lance drifted off again.

Chapter Text

“We are ever so grateful for your continuous support and assistance throughout this project, Paladin Lance,” said the cheerful Altean supervisor as Lance approached her and her colleagues. They all stood on the large platform, standing in the large shadow cast by the statue in front of them. The scaffolds still stood around it and, in the process of being taken down since the construction had now officially ended.

“It was my pleasure to help,” Lance replied in stilled formality (as formally as he could muster) to the other Alteans, a habit he couldn’t shake. “It really does look great.”

“It is just so wonderful that we finished in time. The ceremony is only a few quintants away.” The Altean clapped her hands together, clearly pleased with her team’s work. “We must attend to other preparations now. We will leave you here.” They all waved goodbye and Lance watched the group disappear down the stairs that led back to the castle, animatedly talking to one another, leaving Lance standing alone on the platform.

The statue, carved from some Altean stone that glitters in the sunlight, stands around thirty feet tall, a perfect sculpture of Princess Allura herself, tall and proud as the savior of the universe. Her luscious hair cascades down her back, blown sideways by some mythical wind, expression serene and and the sculptor managed to capture the fire of determination in her gaze, looking out over what would be her home if she were still here. Lance thinks the architects did an incredible job, capturing every aspect of Allura and solidifying it in stone as a memorial of the brave and incredible person she was. Lance teared up upon seeing it for the first time, reminded of everything Allura stood for instead of the way his heart ached in her absence and the longing he felt to have her by his side again.

Standing before the statue now, Lance couldn’t help but notice how much he had grown in the months since he first came to New Altea. He only looked upon Allura with the admiration she deserved, and even found a smile spreading across his face as he looked fondly back on everything they had done together.

“Hey, Allura,” Lance found himself saying, feeling minutely silly for talking to a statue. “It’s been a long time, yeah?”

She didn’t say anything. Of course she wouldn’t. A figure carved from stone may have a mouth, but can’t speak. “Yeah,” Lance agreed for her. “I still can’t believe it’s been almost a year without you. Everyone’s doing well, I hope you know. Pidge and their family are helping Earth in its technological advancements, they’re really incredible. Last I heard they were working with Matt on creating a sentient robot, which— really cool!” He moved to sit on the pedestal of the statue, finding himself in the mood to talk. He began to recount all he knew of his friends and their achievements, from how Hunk and Shiro had gotten over half of the known universe to join the galactic coalition, and then went on a separate tangent about Shiro and his massive crush on Curtis, who Lance still wouldn’t be able to pick out of a line of people if he were asked.

“I mean, there were a lot of generals on the ATLAS, how would I possibly remember them after all this time? Sometimes I feel like this Curtis guy isn’t real, but Keith knows who he is. That’s how I know all of this, actually.”

That led him on a separate spiel about Keith and his work with the Blade of Marmora. It was only yesterday that Keith had called him, in an abnormally good mood.

“He’s giving a speech tomorrow and he thinks it’s the final step in the reformation of the Galran government. He’s been working his ass off to get everything settled, I’m surprised he hasn’t burnt himself out.” Lance sighed. “I don’t know why he dislikes the idea of being a leader. He’s damn good at it.” He glanced up at Allura’s face, preferring to think that she looked pleased. “You’d be really proud of him. I know I am.”

Lance’s heart fluttered with the admission and the air around him shifted, no longer casual, now humming with tension. Lance began to fidget as if he were held by Allura’s expectant gaze, waiting for him to tell her what he’s only ever dared to contemplate in his head.

“Actually, Allura…” Lance started before realizing he didn’t actually know what he wanted to say. Should he just tell her outright? Would it be weird? No, that was silly. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t speaking to the real Allura. He could be as inarticulate as possible and it would make no difference at all, but he needed to say it before it drove him mad. “You mean a lot to me — you still do— but I don’t love you anymore, not the way I swore I always would. I finally moved on.” He waited for the world to come crashing down around him. When it didn’t, Lance continued. “I know it shouldn’t have taken me this long, but I needed the time to heal and come to terms with a few things.”

A few things, sure, but there was only one thing on Lance’s mind, or rather, one person in particular; one unfairly attractive person with pretty eyes and a nice smile and dumb hair. Because of course Lance wouldn’t be able to keep Keith out of his mind. That man had been the center of his universe for so long at this point, sending Lance into a spiral when he wasn’t around, and Lance should probably be worried, but how can he when lately Keith smiles at him like everything only exists between the two of them, looks at Lance like nothing else deserves his attention. (And maybe Lance is only being delusional, because he’s clearly in over his head, but all delusions have to stem from somewhere). This giddy, nervous energy burning through his veins was not new, reawakened after years spent dormant, buried deep beneath the surface long before anything serious with Allura even began to sprout.

In those fleeting, tumultuous months that had all of them at their lowest, when Shiro had supposedly died, Lance noticed how much closer everyone became. More so, Lance had the time and motive for some self reflection when he couldn’t be both Keith’s number one rival and his right hand man at the same time, and what he found just about scared the shit out of him. From the moment he first saw Keith he knew that the guy was attractive, but never in his life would he have thought that he, Lance McClain, would be attracted to Keith Fucking Kogane. Even worse, he couldn’t hide behind the fact that Keith’s personality sucked ass, because once Keith started to rely on and trust Lance, his jagged exterior softened and the venom in his words didn’t sting like it used to, and Lance had to admit that behind all those walls and defenses was a boy just like him who needed someone on his side just as much as the rest of them. Lance began to understand Keith, began to like him, and the only thing scarier than that was his unwavering trust and confidence that Keith would catch him if he fell.

Any hopes he had of growing closer to Keith died the day Keith left to join the Blade of Marmora. Well, “died” didn’t quite fit. More so, Lance stamped out anything he might have — and most definitely had — felt for Keith. He didn’t care if Keith had good intentions when he did it; when he left Voltron, it really fucked Lance up. Whatever Lance thought existed between him and Keith existed only in his head, in the blurry place between reality and “what if”. Seeing Keith off was one of the hardest things Lance had ever done, watching his teammate, his friend, walk away like he didn’t have anything he was leaving behind. So Lance chalked all of his feelings up to his homesickness and fear of being lost in space. Keith made him feel better, that didn’t mean he actually felt anything for the guy. Because admitting to that would only send Lance down a spiral. He tried his best to forget it all, and for the most part, he got over his dumb crush. Keith was never around long enough for new feelings to take root anyway.

Until now.

Lance let out a shaky breath, dragging his hands over his face and the smile he couldn’t tamp down despite the awkwardness that hung over him. Because he had felt this way before, too.

“Allura, I think I’m in love again.” He whispered his confession, afraid that it would feel like a lie, like he was deluding himself into thinking such a thing, but Lance could all but taste their truth the moment the words left his mouth. It carried through his whole being, like a breath of fresh air after wandering hopelessly through heavy smoke. Lance found it almost comical: how easy it was for him to love. He loved his family with all his heart, he loved his friends, he loved his life again. The first time he had told Allura that he loved her, he felt it with every fiber of his being. Lance would always remember Allura, how she made him feel safe and needed. Her affection was soft and gentle, their relationship in the eye of a storm as war waged around them.

And now Keith, with his recklessness and resting glare, his sharp tongue and his cocky smile. Lance had dreamed of being by Keith’s side since he first saw him at the garrison: the kid with the weird hair and authority issues. He had always seemed so far out of reach, always, but with every phone call, every visit, every smile and laugh and shared glance and moment spent in each other’s presence, Lance almost believed he could outstretch his hand and finally, finally, Keith would be within his reach.

“For the longest time I thought I was being inconsiderate, falling for someone else,” Lance said with a sheepish chuckle, “But I guess you sacrificed yourself to give all of us a future, so I’m not going to waste it.” Allura gazed on, expression unchanging, but Lance imagined her proudly looking down at him, one last smile that wasn’t a ‘goodbye’ but a ‘good luck’ instead. “You’ve been there for me all this time, but I’m okay now.” He smiled.

Lance could almost hear her voice as if she were looking fondly down on him. “I’m so happy for you, Lance,” she might say now. A pitiful sight he must be to someone passing by: a man talking to the remembrance of his past love. Lance only felt relief that the Allura he remembered no longer called back to him, dragging him back to the past instead encouraging him forward and towards whatever awaited him as she did now.

“Thanks Allura. For everything.”

Lance stared at the screen, watching as a white dot circled Hunk’s profile as the call tried to connect. His leg bounced up and down in anticipation, wondering what could possibly be taking Hunk so long. When the screen finally turned green, Lance almost fumbled his phone out of his hands.

“Hey La—“

“Hunk! You’ve gotta help me.” Lance whined, flopping down onto his bed. “I know you told me, and I know I kinda denied it, but dude, I think I’m in love!”

For someone who supposedly knew already, Hunk’s eyes went wide with surprise at Lance’s admission. “Wait, what?” He asked, perplexed and a little thrown by Lance’s unusually frantic attitude. “In love with who?”

“You know who!” Lance could see in Hunk’s eyes that he did, in fact, know, but the firm set of his jaw said clearly that Hunk wasn’t going to say anything outright in case he was wrong, however unlikely. “Keith.” Lance clarified a little reluctantly, feeling his face begin to burn. It was so much easier to admit this to a statue who couldn’t respond.

Hunk’s jaw dropped. “Wait, actually? You’re not messing around?”

“Do I look like I’m messing around?” Lance asked, waiving a hand in the air simply because he couldn’t keep still. “You were right when you said I might want our relationship to change, but I didn’t realize it, and now that I have I don’t even believe it half of the time, and how would I even go about it? What if Keith doesn’t feel the same? Or our friendship is ruined because of this?” Lance rambled, pacing around his room now. “Hunk, I’m freaking out. How are you always so calm about your massive crush on Shay? I feel like I’m going to combust.”

“Woah there, calm down,” Hunk urged, his mother-hen instincts kicking in and Lance saw him gesturing with his hands to sit down. Obliging, Lance collapsed again onto his bed, not yet rid of his nervous energy but willing to sit still so Hunk might give him some advice. “First of all, when I talked to you I was thinking more along the lines of dating, getting to know each other in a more intimate way, as potential partners instead of just friends. I didn’t think you were already this far gone for him.” Lance leveled him with an unimpressed stare. “Okay, maybe I thought you were into Keith, but nothing like this.”

“So what do I do about it?”

“What do you want to do about it?”

“I don’t know! What if I mess everything up, Hunk?”

Hunk pursed his lips in contemplation. “This is you and Keith. I don’t think you’re capable of messing this up.”

“You underestimate me,” Lance sighed, his joke falling flat with despair.

“It’s probably not my place to say anything, but do you know how little of a chance there is that Keith will outright turn you down?”

“It would be worse if he tried to be kind about it. I’d prefer a rejection than his sympathy. It would make losing him easier.” Lance countered, pointedly ignoring the implications of Hunk’s statement.

“That’s not how that works, Lance,” Hunk tried to reason.

“It is, though!”

“Were you scared of losing Allura when you asked her out?”

Silence stretched between them, a moment of hesitation as Hunk watched Lance process the question. He hadn’t been prepared for Allura to be brought into this conversation.

“I— No, I wasn’t scared of losing Allura,” Lance said, confused by his own answer.

“Why is that?”

“I guess…” Lance thought, “I had tried hitting on her before, and she always played it off and never treated me differently. I figured it would be the same if she rejected me.”

“So why should Keith be any different?”

Lance scowled at Hunk, trying to appear perturbed when he really wanted to keep Hunk from seeing just how scared he was that he'd be right.

“Keith runs away from things that are too difficult to deal with. I don’t want to be that reason.” Lance tasted the bitterness of his words. “I don’t want him to run away from me again.”

Hunk was at a loss for words and Lance considered that he may have shared too much. He knew what Hunk would likely say: that Lance wasn’t the reason Keith left to join the Blade of Marmora. Sure, that wasn’t the whole story, but it was definitely a factor. Lance wouldn’t believe anything else on the matter unless it came honestly from Keith himself. “Don’t worry, I know he was under a lot of pressure,” Lance recited after seeing the way his best friend began to fret on the other side of the screen. “It’s hard to keep track of everything when I get in my head.”

“I’m glad you can recognize that, but Keith has also come a long way since then.”

“Maybe,” Lance hummed. He had left those in his room on Earth. He didn’t say anything else, not quite sure what to. Hunk seemed to understand that Lance was no longer in the mood for talking, so with a curt goodbye and a wish of good luck, Hunk ended the call, leaving Lance alone in his room staring up at the ceiling. No star stickers decorated it here. Lance had left those in his room back on Earth.

He wanted to believe Hunk more than anything in the universe. More so, he wanted to believe that Keith really wouldn’t vanish from Lance’s life, not after everything they had been through. Because Lance could vividly picture the two of them together, hands held together and fingers interlocked; sitting shoulder to shoulder, heads resting against one another as they watched a sunset; bantering about anything and everything because they could. He thought about the way he and Keith stole glances at one another, both trying to be subtle but ultimately failing. Lance wondered what it would be like to trace the equally beautiful and handsome contours of Keith’s face with his gaze, his fingertips, even his lips, though the thought alone sent a violent flush spreading across his cheeks. Above all, Lance knew Keith, probably better than anyone else. They had been through so much together, and even when they went their separate ways, they always managed to find a way back to each other. It made sense, the two of them. Even if Lance didn’t know where Keith stood right now, he knew that Keith was, at the very least, looking his way. Lance pictured it all. If they could be so good together, why waste that?

Something would go wrong. Lance would get too close and steal all of Keith’s life, suffocating him. Keith’s hand would slip through Lance’s, turning his back, purple mask and hood of the Blade uniform obscuring his face, leaving Lance in growing darkness with a wretched stain of purple in his vision, the last light he would see.

Lance gasped, eyes flying open. The sun had disappeared from his window and Lance found himself in darkness much like his dream. He had dozed off apparently, but his sleep didn’t rejuvenate him. Instead, a sinking feeling sat in his stomach as the memory of purple light disappearing played over and over in his head. He wouldn’t do anything, Lance decided. He couldn’t. Not when he had no idea how Keith would react and what that could possibly lead to. It filled him with defeat to resign himself to inaction, the longing for something more ever-persistent.

“It’s not worth the risk.”

The people left it up to little imagination that a huge celebration was near everywhere Lance went through the capital city of New Altea. Streamers and lanterns hung from the buildings to span the streets, bright colors and lights everywhere. The growing season here had just begun so flowers filled every window box and planter in the town, sprawling across the countryside and coloring the sweeping green grass with vibrant pink and yellow and orange. Lance decided that springtime on New Altea might be one of his favorite things to experience.

Coran had called everyone the previous night to go over some of the details regarding the upcoming celebration as well as a proposal.

“The castle is all set up for a wonderful party, oh it looks fantastic,” he said, cheerful as ever and with an extra sparkle in his eye that made him appear younger, unburdened by the past year of reparations and grief. “I’m sure you all would love to go, but first I have arranged for a feast to be held for the six of you and myself, not only to commemorate the end of the war one year ago, but to remember Allura. We owe all our progress to her.”

Everyone agreed and Hunk even offered to cook, though Coran declined, explaining that none of them should have to do any work. The whole capital city would hold events and performances, one large festival for everyone to enjoy. Lance planned to spend his morning seeing just all the things the New Alteans came up with.

Now, as he walked through the streets, Lance felt incredibly light and happy, the general cheer of everyone around him having a tremendous effect on his mood. Some people recognized him and stopped to thank him for his service and some children asked for autographs or a picture. Lance couldn’t even be bothered by them, smiling as the kids showed him their lion figurines. One even had a hand drawn picture in what looked like crayon of a very clunky red lion, but what surprised Lance most were the two figures standing below her. They both wore the armor of the Red Paladin, and Lance instantly knew that one of them was Keith because the kid had done a very good job of capturing his atrocious mullet, but the other one… the other one was Lance?

“Is that me?” He asked the kid, pointing to the other figure. The kid nodded shyly.

“You and the other Red Paladin,” she said, not meeting Lance’s eyes, instead looking intently at her drawing. “The Red Lion’s my favorite.”

It surprised Lance since he was so often associated with the blue lion, though he had admittedly flown the red lion longer. It probably had something to do with the fact that his armor remained the same even when his lion changed. Lance smiled down at the drawing, quite liking the idea of himself in Red, though he knew blue looked better on him. Plus, no one could pull off the red like Keith did, and Lance never minded that he kept the color. Piloting Red gave them something in common while allowing them to keep their differences.

“Would you like me to sign it?” Lance offered, for once genuinely interested.

The girl looked up, an eagerness in her eyes that she was trying very hard to hide. She nodded eagerly.

“Yes, please.”

Lance chuckled, fishing a pen out of his back pocket and signing his name under his figure in the drawing. After a brief contemplation, Lance decided to add another small note, hoping the girl would like it.

“Here you go,” Lance said, handing the picture back to the girl. She had to be no more than nine years old, Lance was sure, but her face lit up as she read what he wrote: Lance McClain. Red Paladins Rule! She was absolutely beaming, holding tightly to her artwork. “Actually, do you mind letting me take a picture of it?”

She thrust her paper out to him, holding it still and Lance took out his phone, snapping a shot before pocketing it. “You’re really talented.” He said, finding that he really did mean it despite the crayon. “I hope you have a good day!” Lance waved and she skipped away, joining another group of kids who were ogling him from a few feet away. Even if he really just did want to spend the day relatively unbothered, kids like that really did make him feel good about saving the universe.

Lance managed to spend the rest of the afternoon with few troubles, able to walk around with the rest of the Alteans and celebrate the end of the war with them. Everywhere food was sold Lance could hear at least one person talking about Hunk and his incredible cooking and how he was said to be coming out with his first cookbook sometime in the next year. Lance had no idea if Hunk had any such thing planned, but it brought a smile to his face nonetheless. Hunk knew what he was talking about when it came to food, especially when he said it brings people together.

The hum of a teludav caught Lance’s attention, turning his gaze skyward in time to see the swirling galaxy of a portal open up and spit out the ATLAS, its massive white body temporarily blocking out the sun. A collective cheer rang through the streets as the people of New Altea applauded the ship’s arrival. More importantly, this signaled the arrival of Hunk and Shiro, and Lance started to weave his way through street stalls and people towards the major landing pad.

“Hunk! Shiro!” Lance called, standing a reasonable distance from the settling ship.

“Lance!” Hunk waved, appearing on the gangplank. “Hang on a second, I’ll be right there.”

“Wow, all fancy wearing your uniform,” Lance pointed out.

“Yeah, we had a diplomatic meeting last night. This morning? I’ll settle for this morning, I’m still not used to the time differences.”

“Oh? How’d it go? Good, if I can judge from your mood.”

“Yeah, everything went really well. We helped two planets settle a dispute that’s been preventing their cooperation in the past.” Hunk sighed, stretching his arms above his head. “Man, sometimes it’s so hard to smile and talk them through such simple matters, but everything worked out, so I’d say it’s a job well done.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Lance clapped Hunk on the back.

“Hi Lance,” Shiro greeted, walking up from behind Hunk.

“Shiro! It’s good to see you,” Lance threw his arms in the air before throwing them around Shiro himself. That’s when he saw the man standing a little further behind Shiro, dressed in uniform and watching the three of them with interest. Lance realized that, despite his previous claims, he did recognize him. “Oh, is this the Curtis that I’ve heard so much about?”

Almost on cue, both Shiro and Curtis’s cheeks flushed a dark red, the color more prominent on Shiro’s fair skin and making him look all the more flustered.

“Um, yeah, this is Curtis. You remember Lance, right Curtis?” Shiro said, holding his composure incredibly well.

“Of course I do, Red Paladin,” Curtis replied, a little uneasy.

“Come on, you can call me Lance. No need for formal titles or anything. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Curtis relaxed marginally. Lance decided it didn’t matter much. “So, where are the two of you headed?”

Shiro looked back at the other man, a silent conversation passing between them in an instant. “I thought we’d go see the different festivities in the city. They looked like fun from the sky,” Shiro said.

“You’ll have lots of fun. Alteans know how to throw celebrations, that’s for sure.”

“I heard they have a theatrical rendition of the final battle,” Hunk chimed in.

“Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that. It’s in…” Lance checked his phone, “It’s in, like, ten minutes! We could make it if we hurried.”

So that’s how the four of them found themselves traversing the streets until they came to a small square set up with a stage where the production was just beginning. Overall, the performance wasn’t too bad. Sure, there was a lot of added drama and too many long monologues towards the end about right and wrong and peace, though Lance didn’t mind. It still proved to be thoroughly entertaining.

“Pidge would be livid if they found out that they gave them the personality from the TV show,” Hunk joked afterwards, doing a poor but hilarious mimicry of the character’s basalt voice.

“Oh they would throw a fit for sure.”

Shiro cleared his throat. “I think we’re going to head off for a bit,” he said, gesturing between himself and Curtis. Lance noted how close they were standing.

“Alright,” Lance said, making a point of sending Shiro a knowing look, an action that was not appreciated. “See you guys later.”

Both Shiro and Curtis waved as they turned, walking away into the crowd. “Have fun on your date!” Lance called after them, snickering at the way he saw Shiro’s shoulders tense.

“As, come on, Lance. You didn’t have to do that,” Hunk sighed though he was also smiling.

“How else do you think they’d broach the topic?”

“I’m sure Shiro is fully capable.”

“Consider this a nudge in the general direction.”

“Need I remind you how you reacted when I tried to do something similar for you?”

Lance groaned, his face going red. Hunk smirked. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

Lance and Hunk moved closer to the castle as the sun began to dip in the sky and Lance got to show him around his favorite places on the grounds. There was the large fountain in front of the main entrance, water curving into the air at seemingly impossible angles. While the grounds were often open to the public, many more people milled around today, holding picnics on the pristine lawns and sitting with one another along the paths that wound around the castle.

When they finally came to the statue of Allura, Hunk gasped. “Wow, it looks incredible,” he breathed, “You helped with this, right?”

“Yeah. I mean, the architect mostly asked me about details and accuracy, but I guess that counts,” Lance replied, a pleased smile on his face.

“It’s wonderful.”

Behind them, a loud chattering came into earshot and they both turned to see a large group of children waddling towards them, following an older Altean woman who looked like she might be their teacher.

“And here we have a statue of Princess Allura, the Blue Paladin of Voltron,” the teacher explained, leading the children past Lance and Hunk and up the stairs to the statue. “Do you know why we’re celebrating today? Well, one deca-phoeb ago…”

“Anyway, what time do you think Pidge and Keith are gonna be here?” Lance asked, losing interest quickly in the schoolchildrens’ history lesson.

“Not sure. I trust Keith to be on time, but you never know with Pidge.” Hunk looked up at the sky as if expecting the green or black lion to appear out of a wormhole right then.

“Do you think we’ll have to call them?” Lance asked, thinking of the way Pidge tended to get lost in their work.

“Nah, it should be fine.”

“Excuse me, but you two are the red and yellow paladins of Voltron, Lance McClain and Hunk Garret, are you not?”

The school teacher approached them, looking quite surprised to see the two of them there. Still in front of the statue, though now all watching their teacher intently, the students sat restlessly, muttering to each other.

“Yes, what can we do for you?” Hunk said in what would be considered a customer-service voice if Hunk weren’t already polite.

“Actually, I was wondering if you two could talk to my students about today,” she smiled, “If it isn’t too much of a bother.”

“Not at all,” Lance agreed. He and Hunk followed the teacher back up to the statue, earning some surprised gasps from the children.

“As I’m sure you all know, these two men with me are paladins of Voltron.” A cheer went up from the kids and Lance smiled a little awkwardly while Hunk waved his hands.

“Did you guys really fight the Galra?” One kid asked, raising his hand only belatedly even though he had already spoken.

“How many planets have you been to?”

“Do you actually transform into lions?”

“You guys are so cool!”

Lance shared an amused glance with Hunk.

“Alright, settle down, class,” the teacher instructed and a hush fell over the children. “One of you, might you tell us about Allura since we are at her statue?”

“Oh, well, Allura is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known. She was Altea’s princess before it was destroyed, the old Altea,” Lance clarified when he saw some of the shocked looks, “And she led the efforts to end the war with Zarkon and the Galra empire.”

“She fought with both her head and her heart, and that's what won the war,” Hunk added, glancing up at the statue.

“Yeah, if she hadn’t seen that there was still good in Honerva, we probably wouldn’t be here today celebrating her and the end of the war.”

“There was even good in emperor Zarkon?” A young balmeran asked, raising their hand high in the air.

“Even emperor Zarkon,” Lance confirmed, though he wasn’t sure how much good was left in the old tyrant towards the end of his reign.

“Thank you two for this lovely bit of history, but we must get back now. It is almost sunset.” The teacher urged her students to stand. “Now, can all of you give a big thank you to Mister Hunk and Mister Lance?”

A chorus of thank-you’s erupted from the small group as they waved their goodbyes eagerly before being ushered away. “The paladins have an important event to attend to soon, and it’s almost time for school to end.” Another cheer rose from the kids.

Just then, the familiar, warping sound of a wormhole opening came from above, drawing Lance and Hunk’s attention in time to see the green lion fly out of the sky.

“What do you know,” Lance laughed, already jogging down the path that would lead them, eventually, to the landing pad. “They’re even early!”

Pidge stepped out of the Green Lion just as Lance and Hunk stepped onto the landing pad. Their usually unruly copper hair had been tamed into some semblance of order, though it still held its natural form. Their jacket, Lance noticed, was hastily thrown over a lab coat with a large grease stain on its hem.

“Let me guess, you barely even stopped working long enough to leave?” Lance quipped, catching Pidge’s attention.

They looked at him once and then down at themself, quickly noticing the lab coat. “Balls,” they muttered, hastily shedding both coats and tossing the lab coat back into the Green Lion. “While I would laugh sarcastically at your assumption,” Pidge drawled, casting an unimpressed glance Lance's way, “You’re actually right this time.”

“Everything going well with your project?” Hunk asked.

Pidge’s eyes lit up. “Actually, yes!” They said excitedly. “All of the code is done and we’re just hooking up the last of the internal wiring, so we should be able to activate Chip any day now.”

“Chip?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s what I’m going to name it,” Pidge clarified, wordlessly motioning for Green’s mouth to close, “Because while we’re aiming for a sentient robot, all of the programming is still stored on a small card: a chip. I found it fitting,” they giggled.

“Wow, I still can’t believe you’re actually building a sentient robot.” Lance clapped Pidge on the shoulder, “Though I’m not at all surprised.”

“I just have to hope that Matt waits for me to return before powering it up.” Pidge’s expression darkened. “He promised me, but you never know.”

“Well, I think Coran is setting up now. We could head over.”

Pidge looked up at Hunk’s suggestion. “Oh yeah, where are the others? Shiro came with you, right?”

A grin curled Lance’s lips. “Shiro took Curtis to see the festivities in the city.”

“He actually took Curtis out on a date?” Pidge’s eyes widened.

“I don’t think it was a date,” Hunk frowned, completely missing the fact that it totally was.

“It so was a date,” Lance countered, “Did you see the way they were looking at each other? They were trying to act all casual, it was so cute.”

Pidge snorted. “Someone’s been paying attention.”

“I’m a romantic, Pidge.” Lance rolled his eyes. “It’s not my fault they’re so obvious and absolutely in love.”

“Hm, where have I seen that before? Oh, right.”

Lance froze, caught between minor offense and cautiously wondering what exactly Pidge was referring to. “What does that mean?”

“Play dumb all you want, I’m not going to spell it out for you.”

Lance frowned. He knew Pidge was likely referring to him, because while he thought he had been extremely covert with his feelings for Keith, Hunk told him in painful clarity how terrible he was at being discreet. Lance seriously considered melting and becoming one with his bedroom floor when he heard such a truth.

“Keith and I are not ‘in love’, as I said.” Lance got no little satisfaction from watching surprise flicker over Pidge’s face. They looked quickly from him to Hunk, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Woah, he’s addressing it.”

“He’s come a long way.” Hunk nodded, looking all too serious.

“I’m right here. I can hear you,” Lance sighed, not at all takinging kindly to how Hunk sounded like a proud parent.

“And to think I would never see the day,” Pidge continued on like they never heard Lance. “Things surely do change.”

“Oh forget it. I’m walking away.”

“But Keith just got here.”

Lance hated the way his head snapped around quicker than the speed of light and the five seconds it took him to realize that Pidge was messing with him. They barely held in their laughter as Lance scowled.

“Forget it. I’m going to go help Coran, and we’re going to have a lovely meal by ourselves without all your antics.” Lance huffed and started walking down the path that led back towards the castle.

He got no more than twenty feet before Hunk called out, “Hey, Keith’s here.”

“Hah hah, I’m not falling for it this time.”

“No, actually,” Pidge added. “Lance, I’m serious.” If they ever believed that Lance would believe them, boy were they mistaken.

Lance was about to leave the landing pad when he heard footsteps behind him. Hah. Hunk and Pidge gave up so easily it seemed. He almost turned around to point it out, but he stopped dead when he heard a familiar, breathy laugh.

“Where are you stalking off to in such a foul mood? I thought I was supposed to be the, what do you call it, ‘moody and broody’ one.”

Lance spun on his heel, not having even considered that Hunk and Pidge would actually be telling the truth, but Keith stood before him dressed in his same black pants and grey shirt. Any retort Lance was going to make got seconded to the first thing that caught his attention, and instead, like an idiot, he blurted out, “Your jacket is different.”

Keith looked mildly taken aback by Lance’s seemingly random comment. “Yeah. Your’s is, too. So what?”

“Just,” Lance looked from Keith to himself, “So used to your other one.”

“I don’t think I’ve worn that old thing in years, Lance. It’s odd of you to comment on it now.”

Keith’s jacket was similar to Lances. Keith’s had yellow, rectangular patches on either of his shoulders, white fabric cut off around his chest in a similar way to the pattern on their Paladin armor, giving way to a nice red. Where Keith’s was white, Lance’s was blue minus the additions on the shoulders, and where Lance’s was white, Keith’s was red.

“It looks good on you,” Lance said absentmindedly. Actually, looking closer, their jackets seemed to complete each other. Keith and Lance, Lance and Keith, his mind supplied, causing Lance to flush furiously. Why did he comment on the stupid jackets anyway?

“Do you finally believe that we’re not lying?” Pidge’s drawl carried up the path as they walked with Hunk towards Lance and Keith.

“Yeah yeah,” Lance huffed.

Keith looked at him quizzically. “What’s that about?”

Lance only shook his head. “Come on, let’s actually go see what Coran needs help with. I don’t want to make him do all the work.” Instinctively, he swung his arm over Keith’s shoulders and began leading him away, not at all trying to be considerate of how heavily he leaned on the other man.

“Lance,” Keith warned without any real heat.

“Keith,” Lance replied in the same tone. They both smiled.

“What did he say? “Obvious and absolutely in love”?” He heard Pidge murmur from behind them.

“Come on, Pidge.” Hunk chided, more automatic than bothered.

Lance tensed, fully aware that they were teasing but unable to shake the implications of their joke. Was Lance really being that obvious? He pulled away from Keith suddenly, as if Keith would be able to sense Lance’s feelings if he got too close.

“What, do I smell bad?” Keith quipped, though skepticism lurked in his eyes.

“No. Just your usual mullet filth.” Lance laughed, trying to sound casual but then worried it came off as strained. Keith frowned.

“I’m surprised by how limited your insults are to my hair, no matter how many different, terrible things you have to say about it.”

“Not my fault there’s just so much of it to criticize.”

Keith scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. They were quiet, Hunk and Pidge’s voices carrying from a few paces behind them as they discussed some sort of mechanism or another. Then, almost cautiously, Keith leaned towards Lance, bumping their shoulders together. When Lance looked up at him, Keith was smirking, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. It’s because Keith doesn’t normally initiate physical contact, Lance told himself, but he couldn’t draw his eyes away. And maybe it had nothing to do with the bumping of their shoulders, but the reason behind it. No. Lance shoved that thought aside while shoving Keith back. They drifted across the path, back and forth, until they ended up side by side, shoulders pressed together and smiles on both their faces. It would be so easy to open his hand and grab Keith’s, to entwine their fingers, but Lance didn’t. Not when Keith could just as easily pull his hand away.

“By the way, is Shiro here?” Keith asked, looking first to Lance and then to Hunk and Pidge.

“Yeah, we both arrived in the ATLAS.” Hunk said. “He was with Curtis the last time we saw him.”

“On a daaaate,” Lance sang.

“Finally,” Keith chuckled.

“Can I get an Amen?” Pidge added, stepping up beside Keith for a fist bump.

“I really don’t think it was a date, guys,” Hunk fussed.

“We can ask him when he gets back.” Lance grinned. Pidge cackled. They walked the rest of the way in high spirits as the sun dipped towards the horizon behind them. Just in time for their gathering.

The setting sun colored the castle grounds in gold and bronze, setting Allura’s statue aflame in the fading light. A large, circular table stood in the center of the platform, laden with all sorts of food and set for six: each of the paladins and Coran, who all sat around in amiable chatter. Lance looked between all of them as the conversation traveled from one to the other, smiles surrounding the table as forks reached for more and more food.

“I mean, seriously, though, Earth has come a long way. It’s become a hub for alien activity now that my dad’s stabilized his teludav technology,” Pidge explained. As soon as the last word left their mouth, they shoved another roll of some sort into their face, chewing thoroughly with great vigor.

“That’ll make travel on the ATLAS much easier,” Shiro said, pleased. “ We’ll be able to reach so many more sectors with the improved mobility. Not to mention the supplies we’ll save with the shorter journey.”

“Yeah, yeah! We’ll have so much more room for the cooking ingredients!” Hunk looked enthusiastically between all of them, unable to contain his excitement. Lance chuckled. Not much mattered more to Hunk than food and cooking. “People are just so much easier to reason with when they’re full. Man, this diplomacy thing isn’t nearly as easy as Allura made it look.”

“Right?” Keith chimed in, arms crossed over his chest and an easy smile on his face. “But then, she did make everything look easy.”

“Speaking of which,” Shiro took on an inquisitive tone, “How are things going on Daibazaal?”

Everyone’s attention turned on Keith, Lance included. He had heard from Keith a few days ago about the speech he was going to give to the Galra citizens from the ceremonial site where they held the Kral Zeras of previous rulers. Lance had never seen the place before, only hearing about it from Keith, but it sounded like a big deal and he could tell that Keith was nervous. Lance reassured him that he would do great no matter what.

“You could go up there an absolute bumbling mess and they would still applaud you,” Lance had said in an attempt to get Keith to laugh. When the other only turned a worrying shade of pale, Lance hastened to add, “The Galrans want to listen to you, Keith. I know you’re not going to go up there and make a fool of yourself.”

Keith made some remark about how terrible Lance’s motivational speeches were, to which Lance only laughed.

Now an air of pride fell around Keith and his presence seemed to grow where he sat in his chair. “We’re calling for an election to select the Galran representative for the Galactic Coalition, so that’s a step in the right direction.”

“Let me guess, they asked you to be their leader and you said no?” Lance raised an eyebrow expectantly, already knowing the answer and trying to keep his amusement hidden.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Everyone burst out laughing, including Keith, as they recalled the many times Keith denounced the role as leader back during their days of Voltron.

“Classic Keith,” Lance teased. It used to be a sore spot for Lance, but he found that he didn’t mind the mention now. Because Keith could laugh about it, like it was just another thing that happened. Like he had no intentions of avoiding such things now.

From the seat in front of Allura’s statue, Coran cleared his throat. “Allura would be proud of your decision, Keith. I think she knew that you would always be the key to the Galra’s future.” The laughter around the table ceased as all attention turned to the Coran, dressed sharply in a fine coat fitting of a royal advisor. More lines creased his face than before, making the Altean look older than he should (even if he was technically over ten thousand years old). Nevertheless, Coran still had that clever sparkle in his eye. He spread his arms wide, encompassing all of the paladins. “Just around this table, I see so many lives touched by her actions. For some of us she was a diplomat, a teacher, a leader, and a friend. But to those of us around this table,” he took a moment to meet each of their eyes, “She will always be family. To Allura!” He toasted, lifting his glass high into the air.

They all copied him, and Lance smiled warmly. “To Allura!” They echoed.

Chapter Text

The large castle doors stood wide open, people milling in and out in a constant stream. Lance walked next to Hunk and Keith as they entered the party, trying to politely ignore all of the murmurs from the guests. “Look, it’s the paladins of Voltron” Lance heard them say. The castle was decorated to the nines, large bouquets of Juniberries in porcelain vases placed at equal intervals along every wall filling the spacious ballroom with their sweet fragrance. Chatter hummed over the crowd, interrupted by hearty bellows of laughter and loud exclamations. While the guests mainly consisted of Alteans, there were quite a few other aliens among them. Lance spotted Balmerans scattered in small clusters, either talking or doing some sort of dance to the music. The bright orange of the garrison uniforms stood out in the crowd, though few and far between. Even some Galra were present and it filled Lance’s heart to see them blending so seamlessly into the party, able to celebrate this time of peace just like everyone else.

The band played on strange, stringed instruments and some sort of drums to create a jaunty and bright tune. No heaviness dampened his mood, consumed by the atmosphere and finding that he wanted to partake. The whole place looked completely different from what he remembered through clouded memory distorted by loss and fatigue: high ceilings supporting large and elaborate crystal chandeliers cast the space in warm light, twisting hallways and shadowed alcoves allowed partygoers to escape if needed, and balconies, both indoor and out, made for excellent places to stand and observe the event. At the far end of the ballroom, three thrones stood atop a raised dais, all standing empty. The Altean royalty were probably out enjoying the party. Lance couldn’t blame them; he planned to do just the same.

Coran stepped in front of their group, turning to face them. “I wish you all a wonderful evening! Please enjoy yourselves. I’m so proud of you all,” He said, as if he were a father and they were his kids, going off into the world.

“Thanks Coran!” They all echoed, smiling as the man was pulled into a conversation among some high-ranking Alteans. The five of them stayed clumped together for only a moment more before something caught Shiro’s eye and his cheeks flushed a deep red. Lance followed his gaze, as did everyone else, to find Curtis shuffling awkwardly through the crowd.

“Hey hey, look who it is.” Lance elbowed Shiro in the side with a sky smile.

“Lance, don’t tease the poor man,” Pidge chuckled before turning and waving their hands wildly above their head. “Curtis! Hey, Curtis! Over here!”

“Pidge!” Shiro hissed in the most undignified manner. He fumbled for a semblance of ease as Curtis walked over, pushing past partygoers left and right until he stood among them.

“Hi everyone. Enjoying the party?” He asked, taking a moment to address each of them.

“We just got here, but so far so good,” Lance commented.

“Curtis, did you come here with the rest of the ATLAS crew?” All attention turned to Hunk who looked almost as flustered as Shiro, which was quite unusual.

“Yeah. Everyone should be here somewhere. Looking for anyone in particular?”

“I was hoping to find Shay.”

“Oh, I saw her with Romelle a little while ago. They should be around here somewhere.” Now it was Curtis’s turn to blush as he turned his attention back to Shiro. “Actually, is it alright with all of you if I steal Shiro for a bit?”

A chorus rang up from their group as everyone expressed their blatant encouragement. “Of course not!” Pidge said loudly.

“Take him away.” Lance shoved Shiro towards the other man, both of whom looked like they’d made a mistake, but smiles broke out across their faces when they were within feet of each other.

“I’ll guess I’ll see you guys later then.” Shiro waved and he led Curtis away through the crowd, disappearing in the sea of people.

“We should totally follow them!” Lance proposed the moment he was sure Shiro and Curtis were out of earshot.

“Lance, we’re not going to follow them around all night.” Keith sighed.

“Plus, their relationship isn’t any of our business,” Hunk said like the responsible and respectful adult he was.

“You’re no fun,” Lance grumbled at them collectively.

After that, the three of them milled around for a bit before Hunk pulled away not-so-discreetly to go find a certain Balmeran girl. People passed and songs changed, some dancing and others standing around. At some point, Lance ended up seeking refuge by the huge buffet, somehow separated from Pidge and Keith. He surveyed the ballroom while he smacked on some Altean finger foods and smiled when he noticed Veronica out there dancing with Acxa, stepping in time to the beat and twirling across the dance floor. Since she asked Keith to deliver a message to Acxa, Veronica had talked about her a lot more, receiving regular correspondence that reminded Lance so much of him and Keith he felt stupid for not realizing his feelings earlier. He still didn’t know if Veronica and Acxa were together or not, but with the way they gazed into each other's eyes, Lance figured they might as well be.

That could be me right now, a dangerous thought slipped into his mind and Lance dared to picture himself with Keith, their arms loosely around one another as they danced to the music, just the two of them. But then again, Keith didn’t strike Lance as much of a dancer. If anything, Lance wouldn’t be able to get Keith to do much more than stand in a corner and watch all of the partygoers having fun, much like he was doing right now, except Keith wasn’t here. Where had he gone?

“Paladin Lance, how good to see you again!” A singsong voice pulled him from his thoughts. Approaching him in an elegant ball gown, Lance watched the Altean princess weave through the people, a pleasant smile on her face. A few partygoers looked her way, whispering things to one another like they were sharing secrets, though Lance assumed that the behavior was normal. She was a princess, after all.

“Likewise,” Lance replied, sticking a smile on his face. Was it rude that he forgot they had talked one year ago? Lance wondered what she wanted to discuss.

She took to standing next to him, side by side as they watched the people around them. “Enjoying the party?” She asked.

“Yes, the preparations committee did a really good job.”

“It’s just so wonderful that we get to celebrate this time of peace, even if I wasn’t there during the war.” She glanced sideways at Lance. “Would you care for a dance?”

Lance still wasn’t sure what to think of the Altean princess, or what she wanted with him. Surely she had more interesting and important people to be socializing with at this party, but Lance accepted her offer, taking her hand and following as she led him out into the dance floor. She spun him into proper form as one song bled into the next, gliding through the steps of some dance that Lance tried his best to follow. He would have to thank his sister Rachel later for dragging him to dance lessons when they were small. Otherwise Lance might have actually tripped and fallen on his ass, and wouldn’t that be embarrassing: A Paladin of Voltron making a fool of himself in front of the Altean princess.

“I notice you’re often by yourself at these events,” the princess commented, making conversation. “Are you not here with your other Paladin friends?”

“Oh, no they’re around here somewhere. Everyone’s got people to see so we’re not always together, y’know?” While on the topic, Lance cast a glance around to see if he could spot any of them. Something that looked suspiciously like Pidge’s copper hair flashed through the crowd, but it was gone before he could confirm. “Were you looking for any of them?”

“Oh, no,” She hummed, “I’m quite alright.”

The song shifted again and Lance started to grow wary, unsure how long the princess planned to dance for. He could only improvise the steps for so long, and he could feel her gaze linger on him for longer and longer increments. Lance steeled himself to say something and politely excuse himself upon the beginning of the fourth song, but the clearing of a throat behind him caught both his and the princess’s attention.

“Sorry if I’m interrupting. I thought I’d say hi.”

A bright smile spread over the princess’s face as her eyes locked on the man standing behind Lance. “Paladin Keith, what a pleasant surprise!” She said excitedly, dropping Lance’s hands to lift her skirts in a curtsy. “It is good to see you again.”

“It is,” Keith replied, eloquent as ever. No wonder everyone swooned over this man left and right, with conversational skills like that. Lance snorted without thinking, only hoping that the general chatter of the ballroom swept the sound away. Keith shot Lance a look that told him he heard it. Oh well.

“Would you care for a dance?” The princess asked hopefully, and it dawned on Lance how young she looked, probably no older than 19 in earth-years. It rubbed him the wrong way.

“Actually, I was looking for Lance. I hope you don’t mind if I take him for a little while.” While anyone might agree that Keith was asking permission, his tone and the sure set of his jaw made it clear that he was merely informing her. Lance’s heart fluttered at the thought of Keith seeking him out, no matter how mundane such a thing was, but he felt a little bad for the princess upon seeing the disappointment in her eyes.

“Oh,” she said, “I understand.”

“Well, we’re going to be here for a while,” Lance turned, addressing Keith now, “You have time for one dance, don’t you?”

He had no idea why he was sticking up for the princess, but it felt right, even if he had no reason to and Keith looked like a rug had been pulled out from under him.

“Um, I don’t dance.” Keith shot the idea down.

“Come on, it’s not that difficult,” Lance teased. Keith didn’t budge. “Do you want me to show you?” He stepped forward, almost into Keith space.

“No, I think I’m quite fine.” Keith shot him a wary look.

“It is really alright, do not force yourself,” the princess assured them, though Lance was no longer paying much attention to her, unsure where this confidence had come from.

“Oh come on, Keith. It can’t be too difficult if I can do it, right?” He didn’t wait for Keith’s reply this time. Lance was distantly aware of the princess standing next to them as he reached out to grab Keith’s hands, maneuvering one of them to Lance’s waist and holding Keith’s free hand in his. “Now all you have to do is follow my lead. I’ll even forgive you if you step on my toes.” He chuckled, allowing Keith only a moment before he swept them into the song: a sweet melody that sang through the air, calling more guests to the dance floor.

Keith sent him a withering glare that might have petrified even the Galra’s best soldiers. Lance grinned in response, spinning them in a quick circle and past a group of trimly dressed older gentlemen. Distantly, Lance remembered that they had been talking to the Altean princess, but he didn’t bother looking up. This was her castle, she could talk to anyone when she wanted. Right now, this moment belonged to him and Keith.

Keith, who was following along surprisingly well.

“Hey, I thought you couldn’t dance.”

Keith lifted his head casually, still frowning like a pouting child, but clearly comfortable with his footwork. “No, I can dance just fine. I just don’t like to.”

“Oh.” Lance felt the clawing of shame from deep in his chest. He started to pull away. “Sorry. We don’t have to keep—”

With a flick of his wrist, Keith spun Lance out, pulling him back until they were only inches apart. “You dragged me into this, Lance. The very least you could do is finish the song.”

Lance swallowed, heart hammering in his chest. Keith was so close Lance could feel his breath fan across his cheeks. Their eyes locked and Keith should not look that attractive, standing so close with that stupid, self-assured smirk on his lips. Lance would only have to move forward an inch if he wanted to kiss him, and boy did he want to kiss him.

“Alright,” Lance said, pulling himself together and standing straighter, trying to match the confidence Keith exuded. “I can do that much.”

They continued their dance, careful to watch for other guests, but Lance could hardly keep his eyes off of Keith. Even after all this time and the two extra years on Keith’s part, Lance still looked down to meet his eyes. He couldn’t help but stare openly, his only excuse being the close proximity and setting, but it didn’t matter. If Keith was going to say something, he would have to address the fact that he was staring at Lance with the same intensity. No words passed between them, and Lance got to fully appreciate the moment. Keith may not like to dance, but Lance found very quickly that he liked to dance with Keith. They fit together like this. They fit together in general, Lance liked to think, and it was in moments like this where he could imagine Keith agreeing. Because Lance recognized the look in Keith’s eyes as they held his, could practically feel the expression mirrored in his own. He knew Keith like the back of his hand at this point – knew all his facial cues and different tones of his voice, knew how he fought with his words and his fists, all of it – but Lance couldn’t afford to be wrong in this, no matter how many signs there might be. No matter how painful it was to leave his feelings unsaid.

The song came to an end, the last note echoing through the room. Lance and Keith slowed to a stop, tentatively unsure of where to go from there. Lance was reluctant to let go of Keith because he was here in Lance’s arms, but that would be weird, and he didn’t want to make things weird. It was bad enough that he had held on for so long already. He lowered his arms to his sides, disentangling his fingers from Keiths and immediately missed the contact.

“Not too bad?” He asked, hoping to sound perfectly normal and not at all like the lovestruck fool he knew he was.

Keith stared dumbly, almost like he didn’t quite understand the question. “Oh, uh, yeah,” he coughed, quickly averting his eyes. Something caught his attention and Lance watched his face pinch. “I forgot we were talking to the princess,” he admitted, “That was probably rude of us.”

Lance followed Keith’s gaze to where the long blue hair of the Altean princess stood out among a few sharply dressed Altean individuals. “Yeah, it was. She probably won’t be too keen on talking to me again, you think?”

“Is that really such a bad thing though?”

Lance’s jaw dropped. “Of course it is! I offended royalty!”

“First off, I don’t think you offended her,” Keith said flatly, “And second, from afar it didn’t look to me that you two were engrossed in conversation, so I don’t see what’s so terrible.”

“I guess you’re right,” Lance relented, knowing he wouldn’t think twice of it after today. “Watching us, were you?”

“No! No, I…” Keith refuted, flustered, “I got done talking with my mom and was looking for you–”

“Wait, your mom’s here?”

Keith stopped. “Yeah, she’s here with a few of the Blades. I’m surprised you haven’t seen her.”

Lance scanned the ballroom in an effort to find a tall, Galran lady somewhere nearby, but to no avail. Determined, Lance reached out and grasped Keith’s wrist, dragging him through the crowd once again. “Lance! What are you doing?”

“I’m going to find your mom and tell her what a wonderful dancer you are.”

“Oh please don’t.”

“Pidge! There you are!” Lance exclaimed as he dashed towards the buffet table.

Pidge stood elbow to elbow with Romelle, who’s blonde hair curled around her waist in stunning curls. They each had a flute of nunvill, each mostly untouched, and Pidge had an undetermined quantity of appetizers shoved into their mouth.

“Oh, hi Lance,” they said, nodding at him and shoving another finger sandwich down their throat. “Where’ve you been off to?”

“Enjoying the party, y’know. Dancing with princes and princesses alike.” Lance flaunted, biting down on the smile that wanted to rise to his lips.

“Oh, got Keith to dance with you now did you. Maybe there is hope for you yet.”

“You wound me, Pidge. Have you danced with anyone tonight?”

“Why on earth would I dance when there’s a free buffet like this? You’ve gotta get your priorities straight, Lance.”

“Well some of us are falling in love out here, so I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

“Oh, are you and Keith finally together then?” Romelle asked, jumping on the subject like a cat on a mouse.

“Er, no.” Lance admitted, feeling the sting himself. “We’re not.”

“Why not? It’s clear that you two care deeply for each other.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot.”

“And he’s just too stubborn to see it for himself,” Pidge pointed out with no little exasperation. “Where is Keith anyway? He was with you.”

“Oh yeah. I was actually looking for him, but then I found you guys,” Lance recalled.

It had taken a few laps of the ballroom to track down Keith’s mom and a lot of weak protests from Keith that Lance really didn’t have to go say hi, but they finally found her in conversation with a Blade that Lance didn’t know. It must have looked strange to Krolia: her son being dragged through the crowd by the wrist while Lance grinned triumphantly.

“Back so soon?” She asked, directing her question at Keith with a bemused smile on her face.

“Lance insisted on saying hello,” Keith huffed, offering the explanation almost like an apology on Lance’s behalf. Krolia shifted her attention to Lance, a warm look in her eyes that bore an incredible resemblance to Keith.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Keith’s mom.” Lance held out his hand for a shake, but Krolia grasped his arm, something Lance remembered seeing among the members of the Blade.

“You as well, Lance,” she said warmly, releasing her grip. “Keith tells me that you’ve been overseeing some of the preparations for the memorial.”

“Oh?” Lance shot a questioning look at Keith, who was pointedly not looking at Lance. “Yeah, I was originally asked to provide input for the statue of Allura, but I did end up helping with some other things as well. Nothing major, though.”

Krolia tsk’ed, shaking her head. “Keith’s also told me how much you tend to underestimate yourself.”

“Just how much do you talk about me with your mom?” Lance turned to Keith, who planted his face in his palm with a groan.

“Oh it’s not his fault. You appeared frequently in the visions we encountered.”

“What?”

“Krolia!” Keith hissed, and Lance wasn’t expecting the genuine offense in Keith’s voice, nor the distressed crease between his eyebrows. “That’s enough.”

Krolia studied Keith for a moment, a sympathetic light in her eyes, but she listened despite how much it looked like she wanted to say something more. Keith’s gaze flitted to Lance before shooting away, an angry blush darkening his cheeks as he glared somewhere off to the side.

“Hey man, it’s alright.” Lance tried to reassure him, not quite sure what had gotten Keith so worked up. The other looked like he was caught somewhere in indecision, and for once Lance couldn’t tell what he might do.

“I’ll be back,” Keith muttered, shouldering his way through a group and disappearing into the crowd. Lance’s eyebrows shot up. He looked at Krolia to see if she was just as surprised as he was, but she hardly appeared interested.

“I wonder what’s up with him,” Lance commented, unable to figure the situation out.

“Do not worry. He just needs some time to cool down,” Krolia instructed, like this happened often. Maybe it did.

“Is he alright?” Lance asked, because Krolia clearly knew how to handle this.

“He will be. He still does not know how to express himself as he would like to.” She said solemnly. Lance recalled the term ‘emotionally constipated’ and figured that would apply in a situation like this. He chuckled to himself at the idea, yet his eyes trailed away, searching for a familiar mop of hair in the crowd. He couldn’t help but think that he may have done something wrong.

“Rest assured, Red Paladin Lance,” A sure voice piped up and Lance remembered the other Blade standing with Krolia. “You did nothing to offend the Captain.”

The hair at the back of Lance’s neck stood up, shoulders tensing at the comment. The Blade stood taller than him, roughly Krolia’s height, their unmasked face covered in a thin layer of lavender fur, pointed ears matching the spikes in their hair.

“Sorry, we haven’t met before. Who are you?” Lance asked skeptically.

“My name is Nymand,” the unknown blade said, unaffected. “The Captain talks of you often. It is a pleasure to finally meet the one we have heard so much about.”

Lance faltered. Did Keith really talk about him that much? And even so, how much was there to say? “Oh. Nice to meet you, too, I guess.” Nymand nodded at him, satisfied with the introduction. “Well, since Keith isn’t back yet, I’m going to go look for him,” Lance said, getting a little worried now, though if Lance had a guess, Keith would probably be talking with Pidge or Shiro, possibly sulking over his embarrassment. “I’m glad I got to say hello. Have a great night.”

“You, tool, Lance,” Krolia waved, watching with interest that unsettled him a little, but he chalked it up to Krolia being Krolia.

“Good evening, Red Paladin,” Nymand said, and into the crowd Lance went.

That’s how he came to find Pidge and Romelle. “So, have you seen him around?” Lance asked them, but the two shook their heads.

“Nope, but we’ll let you know if we do.” Pidge assured him, looking around. “I would say it’s unlike Keith to disappear on us, but it’s actually quite in-character for him.”

“Yeah, you’ve got that right.”

“I wish you luck,” Romell said, “Though you two seem to be able to find each other quite well.”

Lance laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

After scouring for far too long, and even stopping to talk to Hunk for a while, Lance had still not found any trace of Keith. What was more confusing was that all of their friends had not seen him. Lance would have expected Shiro to know something at the very least, but he and Curtis — dancing waaay too close for Shiro’s claim of being ‘just being friends’ to remain in place — did not know where Keith was.

Lance searched the inside balconies first, then those outside. Through the hallways he walked, checking the alcoves that might just hide a Keith. If it were anyone else, Lance might have let it go, but something about being unable to find Keith made Lance even more determined. Iif Keith wanted to be alone, that was fine with Lance, but couldn’t he be alone somewhere easier to locate? Lance heaved a sigh, stepping out onto one of the high balconies, one he had already checked, and leaned against the rail.

The night air cooled his skin and he looked up into the sky. Lance knew he could see the same stars as he could on Earth, but the sky of New Altea looked vastly different anyway. He’d gotten used to it, the new and exciting experiences of New Altea, but right now, Lance wanted something familiar. His gaze traveled down, towards the rolling hills now shrouded in darkness, the light of New Altea’s moons reflecting off of a lake’s still surface. The grounds of the castle were less lively than the party inside, but some guests still lingered by the entrance or other doors leading to outside patios, their figures bathed by the warm light from inside.

That’s how Lance’s eyes came to fall on something along the side of a footpath lined with tall, pointed trees on one side. A figure sat on a bench in between two of these trees, facing away from the castle and at a distance that the light could not reach. Honestly, how had he not thought of this, Lance thought comically to himself. He didn’t need to take another look to know what he saw. Lance was already halfway down the stairs when his mind finally caught up, because of course Keith would be sitting alone outside in the dark during a party.

Lance could feel more than hear the difference when he stepped out of the castle, all noise fading away to the dull hum of a spring night. Insects chirped in the trees and a gentle wind carried stray leaves and flower petals across the ground. While Lance had been in a hurry earlier, he felt no rush now that he had spotted Keith. He strolled down the path, hands in his pockets, feeling his face warm despite the chill of the air when he saw the familiar silhouette sitting on the bench ahead of him.

“Why did I expect anything else from you?” Lance said loudly as he approached, noticing the way Keith jumped at the sound of his voice. “Oh, did I startle you?”

“You know, I forget that you can be quiet sometimes,” Keith drawled, not bothering to look at him. “Tired of the party already?”

“Well, I might have stayed if someone didn’t disappear on me.” Lance stepped around the bench and took a seat, leaning back and studying Keith’s profile.

“Sorry,” Keith winced, shooting Lance a quick glance, the first time he had looked at him so far, “My mom can be a little…” his nose wrinkled in an answer, the right word escaping him. “Anyway, it bothered me, so I walked away. Sorry for leaving you, though.”

“Nah, it’s all good. You gave me a fun little scavenger hunt, and now I could probably navigate the castle like I live here.”

“Did you need me for something?”

“Hm? No. Why?”

Keith cocked his head. “I mean, you were looking for me, and it looks like you did a pretty thorough job of it too,” He recounted, “So?”

“Oh, hahaha,” Lance averted his eyes, hand going up to scratch at the warmth crawling its way up his neck, “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“But… why?”

“Um, you’re my friend, and people don’t normally storm out of a party for nothing.”

Keith’s expression turned stormy. “As I said, Krolia sometimes says things I wish she wouldn’t, but I can’t really be mad at her. She doesn’t know better.”

“Wait wait wait,” Lance shifted until he was facing Keith, “Is this about what she said about the visions or whatever?”

Keith’s brow furrowed, looking uncomfortable. “I’m sorry if it was weird.”

“It wasn’t weird.” Lance considered it for a moment. “I’m not even sure what she was talking about. You’ve never told me much about what you experienced in those years.”

Lance watched Keith as he stared down at his hands resting in his lap, idly picking at his fingers. Like usual, Keith’s face was contorted into a scowl of some sort but he looked conflicted, unlike his usual, sulky pout. Lance waited, because while he had some questions and, like, three other things on the tip of his tongue, he held them in to see what Keith might have to say.

“Well, you already know that time passed differently there, seeing as it was only a few months for you guys,” Keith started, “But every so often there would be these flashes — visions, we started to call them — of both our pasts and our futures.”

“Woah, really?” Lance gasped, sitting up straighter. How come he had never heard of this? He had seen a lot of things in space, had been to whole other realities, but seeing the past and even the future? “That’s, like, super cool!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Keith mused as if he never thought about it that way before.

“So, what’s the big deal about her mentioning it then?”

“We kind of made it an unspoken rule not to talk about what we saw of each other’s lives. It was difficult enough having to watch a life I hadn’t lived yet play out in front of me like a movie, I didn’t need my mom prying into things I didn’t even understand.” Keith ranted. It had been a while since Lance had seen Keith this agitated, sometimes he forgot Keith was the very same guy who used to go ballistic at any dumb joke Lance would make. “And then mentioning them in front of you, I didn’t want to have to explain everything, but I guess I’m doing that now anyway.”

Lance pursed his lips. “So, what I’m gathering is: you’re mad at your mom for mentioning that I appeared frequently in visions of your future. Is that correct?”

“It sounds dumb when you put it like that, but yes,” Keith admitted, “I guess it’s just too much for me to think about.” He sighed heavily, slouching down against the back of the bench and letting his head fall back to face the sky. Lance tore his gaze away immediately as he noticed the stars reflected in the glittering dark of Keith’s eyes knowing that he’d rather be caught dead than staring like an idiot.

As much as he wanted to try and reason with Keith about all the reasons why he shouldn’t worry about his mom and what she said, he figured it wouldn’t be much help, but the longer they sat in silence, the more Keith’s face twisted into a frustrated frown as Lance pretended not to watch him too closely.

“Were they bad?” Lance settled on, fed up with the stall in conversation. Keith’s eyes slid in Lance’s direction, open in their confusion. “The visions,” Lance clarified.

Keith didn’t reply right away, instead fixing his gaze on the stars that speckled the night, like maybe they held the answers he was looking for. “Not in the way you’re probably thinking,” he said after a while, “A lot of the things were very mundane. Unrealistic may be a better word.”

“But you said these were snippets of your future.”

“What my future could be,” Keith clarified, “Things like this can’t be certain.”

“Still, how unrealistic could they possibly be? The future isn’t the same as alternate realities.”

“It felt like it, though. That I was looking into a different reality, a future that would never be mine, because it couldn't. There’s no way—” Keith caught himself, freezing mid sentence and snapping his mouth shut, eyes wide like he was scared he said too much. He looked frantically at Lance, waiting for… something, something that Lance couldn’t quite gleam. So he decided to throw Keith a different bone.

“What about the visions with me? Surely those had to be the best.” Lance smirked, waggling his eyebrows in Keith’s direction and hoping to elicit a smile from him as well. Because Lance wasn’t used to Keith holding back, to him being awkward and cautious around Lance.

To his surprise, Keith’s demeanor shifted, though not how Lance had anticipated. He did laugh, though little more than a nervous chuckle as his grip on the bench tightened visibly. “They were… definitely something.” He said, pointedly not looking at Lance.

“What, don’t tell me…” Lance gasped, raising a hand to his chest in terror, “I grew a mullet, didn’t I!”

“Well, there was this one vision…”

“NO! Oh Keith, I knew you’d be the death of me, but THIS?” He lamented, draping himself across the bench until he was leaning fully against Keith’s arm. Despite having received such dreadful news, Lance noticed the shoulder beneath his head shaking. When he peeled his eyes open, he saw a full smile brightening Keith’s face, eyes crinkled shut and teeth bared in a laugh.

“Oh come on Lance, you looked just fine.”

“How could you possibly say such a thing?” Lance sat up and grabbed a fist full of Keith’s hair, tugging it for good measure to emphasize its horror. “I can’t go walking around with a mop on my head like you do! It’s a crime against humanity!” There was no denying the amusement in Keith’s laugh. Even Lance was grinning now even as he tried to uphold his outrage. This is what he was meant for, Lance decided. What had Pidge called him at some point? The goofball? Lance had hated the insinuation at the time, hated how no one could find anything significant to say about him rather than his endless supply of stupid jokes, but those same antics made Keith laugh now, chased away all uncertainty from his eyes, and Lance didn’t think that was too bad.

“I don’t know, you looked pretty happy to me,” Keith nudged his shoulder into Lance’s, pressing them closer together on the bench.

“You must have been hallucinating,” Lance huffed but continued to twirl his fingers through Keith’s hair. Keith hummed, the hint of a smile still on his lips as he tilted his head in Lance’s direction.

“Maybe,” he said, giving Lance a false hope of a mullet-less future.

Around them the air quieted, the distant sounds of the party fading to almost nothing at the moment slowed, a piece of time carved out for just them. Through Keith’s thick hair Lance could feel the warmth of his neck beneath his fingers, and only then did he realize he was still holding Keith’s head. He thought he might panic again, but no flurry of emotions rose to greet him this time. It was as if his entire being was holding its breath, waiting for something that Lance didn’t know about.

A particularly strong gust of wind blew between them, tousling Lance’s hair every so slightly and blowing Keith’s across his face. He made a disgruntled snort as he raised a hand to brush it aside, but Lance beat him to it, pushing away the dark strands instead and uncovering the face he knew so well. Keith blinked his eyes open to meet Lance’s and Lance swore he felt his heart stop in his chest.

Something in the air changed in which the two of them stilled, openly watching one another without an excuse this time. Lance could feel in his gut that this moment was building up to something, but he couldn’t say what. He wanted to know what was going on in Keith’s head, what he was thinking about right now so that maybe he could try and navigate the moment away from this odd patch of silence. Because Lance knew what he would like to do, and if nothing interrupted them he might just be stupid enough to do it. Subconsciously his fingers tightened in Keith’s hair, moving to almost cup his neck, and Lance waited frantically for Keith to do something, even if it was to push Lance away. He needed a response, because Lance was itching to pull Keith closer, to lean forward and cross that short distance…

A blur of movement and suddenly Lance felt the press of something soft against his lips and a hand held gingerly against his jaw. Lance didn’t even dare to think because then he might do something stupid, because he was pretty damn sure that Keith was kissing him. His chest swelled with every single feeling he tried his best to tamp down when he was around Keith, because Keith was kissing him! With hesitant lips, just the slightest bit chapped, and Lance was overwhelmed with the faintest scent of leather and something sharp. He leaned into the kiss, wanting to drink in the sensations, wanting to hold onto this moment in case—

Lance jerked back, eyes flying wide open as if they had never been closed in the first place, trying to clear the thought but he knew this one well. It sat in the dark recesses of his mind, lingering until Lance needed a reminder of why he hadn’t made a move, of why he was afraid to.

He just started to draw his hand away when Keith sat up straight, shock written across his face as a new color rose to his cheeks as he stared at Lance, searching, his brow drawing together as Lance watched Keith close himself off.

“I- I’m sorry if I misread the situation.” Keith muttered, pulling his hand away as if it had been burned. It might as well have been, seeing how hot Lance’s face felt with both eagerness and shame.

“No! No, you didn’t!” Lance said quickly. Not quick enough, it appeared.

“Then why did you pull back?” For the first time in what seemed like forever, Keith looked genuinely hurt, dark eyes smoldering with bitterness. Except, that wasn’t quite right. It took Lance a moment to realize how heartbreak looked on Keith.

“I…” Lance couldn’t look away from Keith, knowing he had been the one to make him look like that. He couldn’t say anything.

“I know I’m notorious for being unable to read people, but you’re an open book to me, Lance. You could have stopped me if this wasn’t what you wanted.” Keith’s lips curled into a sneer, turning away. Lance could see the anger on Keith’s face, a tough facade built up to hide the hurt he couldn’t keep from his voice.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Keith—”

But Keith was on his feet in an instant, already taking fast steps away. “I’m sorry Lance.”

Indignance flared though Lance as he watched Keith’s mullet recede in the dark. He stood and stalked after Keith, pace fast, footfalls heavy against the concrete.

“You don’t get to walk away from me!” Lance shouted. His voice echoed in the night, loud in the silence. Keith just walked faster, ducking his head. In a flash of irritation, Lance sped up to a jog, reaching out and wrapping a hound around Keith’s arm, rooting them both in place.

“Just let me go, Lance.”

“No! I’m not going to!”

“Why not!?” Keith spun around to face him.

“Because if I let you go again, you’re not going to come back.”

In the dark, lit only by moonlight, Keith looked like a shade, the mere shell of who he should be. Still his eyes blazed, unrelenting. “It will save us both trouble.”

“Except it won’t! It never solves anything!” Lance fumed. “Do you want to know why I pulled away?”

Keith froze, caught between his hurt and his anger, but he had always been one to seek out reason. Lance watched the animosity diminish in Keith as he waited for an explanation. Only, now that he had gotten Keith’s attention, Lance felt the words escape him. His mouth opened and closed, tongue trying to string together thoughts into something comprehensible.

“Every time I think I’ve found something that I can keep, that will last, it’s ripped out from under my feet.” Lance felt each word leave his mouth and watched as they sunk in. To his surprise, Keith only scoffed, nose wrinkling in disgust.

“I don’t want to hear about Allura, Lance.”

“I’m not talking about Allura! I’m talking about you!” Lance said firmly. That shut Keith up. He looked stunned. “In Voltron, after we lost Shiro the first time, when you were leader and I was your right hand. It was everything I had ever wanted, standing at your side. I thought there was something between us, but then you just upped and left us!”

“You guys didn’t need me,” Keith defended.

“We did. You told me that when I said the same thing about myself. But you were special Keith who could do whatever he wanted.” Lance felt the familiar burn behind his eyes. He wouldn’t lose it just yet. He had a point to make. “You left, over and over again. We wouldn’t see you for months, and at that point I stopped waiting for a call from the Blade or for your ship to appear in the docking bay.”

“I’ve already apologized for leaving! I can’t change the past, Lance.” Keith spat. Lance didn’t waver.

“When I thought I had a shot with Allura, I still wasn’t going to take it. Hunk convinced me to ask her out, to lay my heart out on the chance that she would feel the same.”

“She did, Lance. Anyone could see how in-love you two were.” There was venom in Keith’s voice.

“And she went and sacrificed herself! We lost her!”

“What does she have to do with this?!”

“Because you keep leaving!” Lance’s words came out in a clipped sob. He drew in a long, shaky breath and kept his eyes open as his vision blurred. His hand had Keith’s arm trapped in an iron grip that probably hurt. He refused to let go of him. “Every good thing walks out of my life, and you’ve been no exception to that! You’re the single most important person to me, Keith. It’s bad enough that I’m already so far gone for you. You’re my best friend now, and if you were more than that, I don’t know what I’d do if you were to walk out on me again.”

“Then trust me!”

The silence between them roared in Lance’s ears, the night sky a vacuum that pulled the air from Lance’s lungs. His breaths came short as he stared at Keith in front him, clenched jaw square as he swallowed, throat bobbing. He looked scared, too.

“I have been head over fucking heels for you for so long, Lance! My feelings scared me so much, and I had no doubt they were futile so I left because I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to get my heart broken, so I broke it myself. Then you and Allura got together and I just had to stand by and try to get over you but I couldn’t!” Keith took a step forward instinctually, leaving their faces meer inches apart, amethyst eyes even with Lance’s own. He could feel his breath on his face. A pinch formed between Keith’s eyebrows, gaze boring holes right to Lance’s soul. “And here I am, still here with you after all of this. I can’t let you go, Lance. I’ve tried and it’s not possible. I can’t stay away, even when I probably should, so trust me when I say you won’t have to watch me walk away again.” He lifted his hand and folded it over Lance’s where his fingers dug into Keith’s sleeve, the cool touch of his fingers sending sparks through Lance’s. “I promise.”

“Keith…” Lance whispered, breathless.

All of the violent emotion in Keith’s eyes suddenly stilled, softening into fondness that had Lance feeling like he was floating. This must be a dream, because never in a million years did he dare to hope for something like this.

“I always come back to you, Lance.” Keith Laced his fingers through Lance’s effectively prying them from around his arm. He didn’t let go. He held Lance’s hand tightly, not constricting but secure. His lips lifted into a smile, one meant for Lance and Lance alone, and his heart felt like it had just caught fire. “That’s how it’s always been, isn’t it? Keith and Lance?”

“Lance and Keith,” Lance returned a wobbly smile as affection bloomed in his chest at the look of elation that came over Keith in that moment.

Lance wasn’t sure who moved first. He pulled Keith to him by their joined hands at the same moment Keith leaned forward. Their lips met and as Lance closed his eyes and he no longer felt like he was dreaming. He had woken up from a dark, dreamless sleep to light and color and Keithreal. He didn’t pull away this time. Keith’s fingers untwined from Lance’s as he raised his hands to cup Lance’s jaw in a gentle caress, his thumbs resting on Lance’s cheekbones. In turn, Lance’s arms snaked around Keith’s back, holding him even closer as they stood there, frozen in time with nothing but one another and the spark that grew brighter and brighter between them.

That didn’t stop Keith from leaning back sooner than Lance would have liked and he heard Keith’s low, breathy chuckle as he chased after him. When he opened his eyes, Keith was staring at him with open adoration, his face only a hairswidth away, eyes brighter than all of the stars in the entire fucking universe. He had a dumb, happy expression on his face, one that Lance knew was mirrored on his own.

“You’re… you’re actually okay with this,” Keith said in disbelief and awe, his eyes flitting between Lance’s. In reality it was a question, an opportunity for Lance to correct him if he were to be wrong. Luckily for them, Lance couldn’t think of a time he was more okay. With Keith in his arms, looking at him like he was the best thing in the world, nothing could be better.

“Yeah, no shit,” Lance huffed, giving Keith’s sides a quick squeeze, “I couldn’t be more okay.”

Lance tilted his chin up for another kiss and Keith melted into him. If Keith had any hesitations before, they all disappeared now and he kissed Lance without abandon. He let himself get lost in the feel of Keith; in the brush of their lips, over and over again; in the way Keith’s fingers felt on his skin. Lance’s hand trailed up Keith’s neck, fingers delving into his hair, thick and silky. He fisted his hand at the nape of Keith’s neck, tugging at that stupid, wonderful mullet of his. A shiver ran down Lance’s spine as Keith let out a soft moan, almost a growl. He tilted his head into Lance’s touch and ran his tongue against Lance’s lips. Lance gasped when he parted his lips and Keith licked into his mouth, tongues twining and Lance was overwhelmed with Keith, Keith, Keith. It felt like his first kiss, new and exciting and addictive. He gave himself up to Keith and gave as good as he got. It was so much, almost too much, but Lance sure as hell wasn’t going to stop. Lance had pictured this moment, the one in another universe where things could have been different, when Keith would have been his. Where they would share tender and passionate kisses under the stars whenever they felt like it. Where Keith would come back to him, and where Lance wasn’t scared of his own overwhelming feelings. He wanted it so much sometimes that it hurt, but now he only had to open his eyes to see that his dream had been in front of him for so long.

Their lips parted and Keith rested his forehead against Lance’s, breathing hard. Lance wasn’t much better, knees quivering and hands holding firmly to Keith’s waist. Even in the dark Keith’s eyes shone, mussed hair framing his face and Lance trailed his fingers through it until they came to rest on Keith’s cheek in a gentle caress. Keith was staring at him like he was all of the sun and moon and stars combined, and Lance, at a complete and utter loss for words, could do nothing more than stare right back. Because this was his reality, and though he was still working through some stuff and Keith’s work with the Blade wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, they were here, together, in this moment. A moment so wonderful that Lance had never even dared to hope for it.

Lance found himself smiling, a giddy, happy feeling bubbling up in his chest that he couldn’t control. He felt it stretch across his face, awestruck and fond as he stared at the beautiful man in front of him. Because Keith was one of the most beautiful people he had ever known, ever seen. He still had the rugged, space-commander, best-of-his-class handsomeness, but his eyes, his smile, they were beautiful, and they were trained solely on Lance.

“What’re you smiling at?” Keith chuckled, puffs of air ghosting across Lance’s face as his gaze flickered between Lance’s eyes.

“You.”

“Why?” Keith tilted his head.

“Just ‘cause I can.” Lance shrugged. “You make me smile.”

“Dork,” Keith huffed, leaning in to press another chaste kiss to Lance’s lips that had butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

“Yeah, but you like it.” Lance nuzzled Keith’s cheek, closing his eyes and breathing in the subtle but distinct smell of his shampoo.

“I do,” Keith exhaled, leaning his head against Lance’s, “I really, really do.”

“Good. I like you, too.”

And even more.

If someone asked him, Lance wouldn’t be able to say what roused him in the middle of the night, but he woke abruptly, eyes snapping open and searching for whatever disturbance he felt. He blinked violently in an attempt to clear the leftover haze of sleep from his eyes before he realized the strange haze in his vision was actually a soft, blue glow. He reached up instinctively to his Altean markings, realizing immediately that they were the source of the light. That still didn’t clear anything up, but as he traced his marks he recalled the way Keith had done just that earlier that night. If possible, they glowed even brighter as his cheeks warmed beneath his fingers.

That’s when he heard it, a sound he hadn’t heard in almost a year. It rattled the walls and resonated in Lance’s bones, something so familiar and nostalgic that he considered that he might still be asleep. Suddenly a bright light began to glow from his window and Lance was up and out of his bed in an instant. The door to his room slid open as he approached it and he realized only then that he was in the Altean castle and not in his house. Coran had prepared them all rooms for the night so they wouldn’t have to travel far until the following day. That meant that the lights in the hall, though dimmed for the night, shone brightly as he stepped outside.

He wasn’t surprised to hear the doors of the adjoining rooms opening as well, only noticing Hunk stepping out because his room was right in front of Lances. Without even an acknowledgement, Lance dashed down the halls and hoped he was going in the right direction because he needed to get outside. Now.

Lance didn’t stop running when he made it to the doors, pushing them open with a vigor that would have made his niece and nephew proud. “You’re like an evil queen” he imagined them exclaiming. “More like an extreme drama queen” his mind supplied, and he couldn’t tell if it was in the voice of Rachel, Veronica, or Keith. It didn’t matter, because as he reached the large flight of steps his breath left his lungs in a startled breath. Before him stood the blue lion in all her glory, eyes alive and glowing gold. On either side of her the other lions hovered in the air, Green and Yellow on her right, Black and Red on her left. Lance skidded to a halt and he saw the others come up around him out of the corner of his eye.

In an acknowledgment of their arrival, Blue roared loudly and the other lions echoed her. Lance’s jaw fell slack and the wind around them picked up, tugging at Lance’s shirt and hair. A presence entered his mind that he immediately recognized as Blue. He would never forget the feeling, and the cool of her consciousness sent a chill down his spine. A purr rumbled in his mind and Lance could feel Blue’s intentions like a nudge of a cat’s head in his palm before it walked away. Then from somewhere further back in his mind came a searing heat, searing and warm, violent and beautiful: Red. She only stayed for a moment before both she and Blue disappeared, leaving Lance alone in his mind again.

With a flash of her eyes, Blue rose into the air among the other lions. Lance could feel her gaze on him, if that was even possible, and faintly he heard a voice, one strangely familiar to Lance but he couldn’t place it. You’ve done well, Paladin. Tears sprung to Lance’s eyes. He rarely gave much thought to the lions nowadays since the universe no longer needed Voltron, their presence just another part of life. They were a whole lot more than partially-sentient space crafts, though. At her sides, the four other lions began to glow a bright white until they burst, their shape and form dissolving to reveal a core of energy, glowing respectively black, red, green, and yellow. Their souls.

The paladins watched them crackle brighter before zipping into the air, disappearing among the stars in the blink of an eye. That left only Blue, who hadn’t left quite yet. All of this started with Blue, in the desert all those years ago when none of them were more than naive kids and Shiro, who had no idea the extent of what he experienced. It was Blue who brought them together, brought them into the middle of a war, and saw them through to the other side. What began with Blue would end with her, too, because this was goodbye. Lance knew it, and while he thought he should be upset or emotional, it felt right. The end of Voltron had finally come after paving the way for so many new beginnings, and Lance was ready.

He reached out to find Keith’s hand and linked their pinkies, a question answered when Keith pulled Lance’s hand all the way into his own. He no longer needed to look back to know that his life meant something or that he had a purpose in this universe. Voltron had given him one when he couldn’t see it for himself, but those days were over.

Thank you, Blue. Lance sent his thoughts out to her, hoping she would hear him. Goodbye.

Under the stars the paladins stood staring up at the sky in disbelief, waiting for something else to happen as if the lions’ departure was only a trick of some sort. The first to recover, Lance looked around at his friends. Pidge had tears in their eyes and so did Hunk, though they shone with pride, as if he had just seen the yellow lion off onto another great journey.

“I can’t believe they’re just… gone.” Keith stepped forward as if pulled by an invisible thread, his grip on Lance’s hand tightening in the process. “I wonder why they decided to leave now.”

“It feels like the end of something great, you know?” Hunk said, smiling sadly. “The lions have been with us for so long, it’s going to be weird without them.”

A moment of silence passed around them. Lance agreed fully, realizing that he would no longer step outside and see Blue and Red sitting proudly next to his house. He would miss his bond with them, the way Red would purr in his mind when he flew her or the rush of welcoming cool that washed over him from Blue when he checked up on her. He would miss them a lot, but Voltron…

“I think their job is done,” Lance said, turning to his friends, “They helped us save our world, our universe, and now it’s our job to build on what we fought so hard to protect.”

“Even in this past year we’ve no longer had to rely on Voltron,” Shiro added, “It’s like they were waiting for us to be ready, to know that we’re capable of moving forward.”

“But why now? We haven’t needed Voltron since the war, they could have left at any time.” Pidge had that familiar look on their face, trying to connect all of the dots until they made sense.

Lance thought of the other paladins and their estrangement from the lions. He remembered Keith mentioning how he rarely flew Black anymore, and Lance knew Hunk kept Yellow at the Garrison so Pidge could look over him and Green. It really came down to Lance and the time he spent with Blue and Red, sitting in their company when he felt needed someone nearby; when the voices in his head got too loud and he wanted Blue’s comfort or the warmth from Red that had come to remind him of Keith.

Keith, who held Lance’s hand in his so naturally, like it was always meant to be there, the same warmth seeping from his palm into Lance’s skin and running straight to his heart to set it aflame. Maybe Lance relied on the lions more than he thought, but he came to terms with a lot of things in the past few days, and that must have been enough.

“Maybe it’s symbolic,” Hunk suggested, shrugging his shoulders, “I mean, the war ended one year ago today.”

Keith spoke up, taking a step and returning to Lance’s side like he had done so many times before, “Like Lance said, we’ve done a lot to ensure the safety of the universe and to protect the lives of countless people across all worlds. This may be the end of Voltron, but for us, this is just the beginning.”

“A beginning indeed,” Shiro nodded, looking around their small circle, “We have so much ahead of us, let’s not waste it.”

Chapter Text

With the sun high in the sky, Lance could confidently say that the Garrison looked exactly the same since he had last been there, with its crude metal structure and orange accents to match the desert around it, though Lance couldn’t deny the nostalgia that accompanied him each time he stepped onto the property. A dry wind blew across the tarmac and he shielded his eyes with his hand.

“Pidge said they would meet us here, right?” Lance asked, hoping to spot a mane of copper hair somewhere.

“In theory,” Keith said, coming up beside him, “Oh, it’s not Pidge, but isn’t that Matt over there?”

“Where?”

Lance squinted in the direction Keith pointed and spotted a group of officers milling past a row of fighter jets, an assortment of tubes and cables cluttering the ground around them and spilling out of different ports and hatches in their sides. Among the officers stood a tall man with hair much like pudges, though much more tame and cut off right before his shoulders. His uniform looked new, colors brighter like a few of the others with him, but not nearly as worn as the officers of a few years. Lance remembered the days of wearing a uniform just like it, the authority it gave him and the sense of purpose he chased for the first month or so after the war. He dreamed of being a garrison official, but he couldn’t be happier showing up to visit friends instead.

“I think it is,” Lance agreed, already taking off in the group’s direction, “Matt!”

Just as he expected, the copper-haired man looked up to reveal the familiar face of Matt Holt, surprise quickly melting into a smile when he spotted Lance jogging towards him, Keith following not far behind at a much milder pace.

“Hey, good to see you guys! How’ve you been?” Matt clasped Lance’s hand tightly when they reached him, pulling him in for a clap on the back before doing the same for Keith.

“Couldn’t be better, I’d have to say. It’s always nice to come back here and visit, y’know?” Lance stepped closer to Keith and threw an arm around his shoulders, jostling him slightly. “Keith and I have been looking forward to this for a while.”

“And you?” Matt turned his attention away from Lance to Keith, comfortably leaning into Lance’s side. “It feels like forever since we’ve seen each other. What’s new?”

“Not much. I’m still working with the Blade and it’s still a lot of data gathering.” He chuckled, causing Matt to laugh.

“Ah, I will say, I don’t miss the time I spent working with them.” Matt clicked his tongue. “Too hard-core for me.” He looked between Lance and Keith, the smile on his face morphing into a smirk and Lance recognized a calculating gleam pass through his eyes, one he has seen too many times from Pidge to know that Matt’s trying to figure something out. “I know it’s not my place to ask, and correct me if I’m wrong, but are you two…” he let his question trail off, a finger gesturing between Lance and Keith in a way that made his already obvious question even clearer. Lance opened his mouth to respond and begin the recounting of their story when Keith’s voice cut him off.

“We’re together now, yeah.” A bashful smile played on Keith’s lips even as he spoke with such clarity, not a stammer or hint of uncertainty. Affection swelled in Lance’s chest.

Matt beamed at the two of them, clapping each of them firmly on the shoulder. “Finally got your ducks in a row, that’s great! I’m really happy for you two.”

“Aw, thanks man!”

“Matt! You coming with us or should we tell the general you’re taking a break?” One of the officers from Matt’s group called out to him, a few others already trailing further down the tarmac.

“Nah, give me one second!” He shouted back. “Well guys, it was good to see you. Hopefully I’ll catch you again before you leave.” He patted their shoulders, “Just a heads up, I think Pidge is at dad’s lab today, so you won’t find them in their normal spot.”

“Thanks! See you around!” Lance saluted with his two fingers, a bright smile on his face.

“Bye Matt!” Keith echoed, waving normally. They parted there, Matt running off to join his group while Lance and Keith meandered towards the Garrison’s main building, stopping to check out some of the aircraft’s sitting out. Lance pointed out some models he hadn’t seen before and Keith drew comparisons to the older fighter jets, the ones they were both accustomed to.

Once inside Lance breathed in the cool air, much nicer than the sweltering heat of the near-summer desert sun. Their footsteps echoed in the hallways though they were far from alone. Officers, generals, and cadets alike filed around everywhere, hastily making their way wherever they needed to be with even steps and perfect form. Not a day off, Lance guessed. In the past when he visited Pidge they had mostly stayed around their lab or the cafeteria, two places that seldom saw any sort of formality, but walking through the rest of the Garrison brought back old instincts to walk with his shoulders back and chest proud as if a general might walk past at any moment and reprimand him for his posture.

“Lance, you’re not a cadet anymore,” Keith chuckled from beside him, giving Lande’s hand a squeeze. “No one’s going to comment on your posture unless it’s to point out how aggressively you’re puffing your chest out.”

Lance pursed his lips and grumbled as he tried to subtly revert his stance to something more normal. Judging by the nudge he got from Keith, he didn’t do a very good job. Lance sighed, giving up completely and instead waved at whoever looked familiar as they navigated their way to the lab of Mr. Holt.

“There you are!” Lance announced their presence loudly, his exclamation directed at the wild mass of hair peeking out from a wide display of computer monitors. At the sound of Lance’s voice Pidge looked up, a startled look in their eyes.

“Wait, you guys are here already?” They asked, perplexed, “Wait, what time is it?”

“It’s just the right time, Pidgeon! We’ve come to bring light, laughter, and happiness back into your boring, old life!”

“And I thought you might need some support, ‘cause, you know, that.” Lance distinctly saw Keith jerk his head towards him with a smirk playing on his lips.

Pidge nodded, resigned to the truth that the afternoon no longer held any hopes of being productive as long as Lance was around, and he was fine with that. Their work could wait, or else they wouldn’t have suggested he visit.

“You’re a lifesaver Keith. I don’t know how you stand being around him so often.”

“I don’t understand it either.” Keith shook his head like he had gotten terrible news.

“It’s because I’m incredibly handsome and charismatic!” Lance supplied, demonstrating just how charming he could be by contorting his face into some semblance of what would never be considered a “sexy smolder”.

“Yeah, that’s definitely not it,” Pidge scowled with derision at the same time Keith said, “Well, I’ll give him that.” Pidge’s scowl turned even more disgusted.

“You know what, I’m just going to forget all this.” Pidge took a deep breath and closed their eyes as if that could help them forget faster. “Now, since you two are here now, I need your help.”

“Oh?” Lance perked up. Pidge rarely requested any help from them regarding their research due to the general abundance of resources at the Garrison and the overall lack of knowledge amongst their group, at least in the field Pidge worked in. Pidge would send them all updates and sometimes talk their way through a mental block, but never much more. “What did you need help with?”

“Well,” their gaze trailed around the lab to the door behind Lance and Keith, “Being on Voltron is kind of a big deal, and a few of the generals came up to me and asked if I could talk to a group of cadets that are interested in becoming the next legendary defenders, or something like that.” They heaved a sigh and dragged their hand down their face and rubbed tiredly at their eyes. “I don’t know what to say to them. I’m not a fighter, I’m a problem solver, and I was hoping you two might have a wider supply of insight.”

“First off, nothing’s wrong with solving problems instead of blasting your way through them,” Lance said, holding up a finger to start his list and raising a second, “Second: we would have probably died long ago if we didn’t have you to help us plan and strategize our attacks and infiltrations, that’s super important.” Lance lifted a third finger. “And third: maybe they want to hear more about the planning than the piloting, all of the cool stuff we discovered along the way like the Olkari and that transmission-space-goo.”

“Plus, now that most of the fighting is over it may actually help to have more scientists looking into extraterrestrial life and technology,” Keith added, “I think we can all agree that it’s better to understand a situation before it turns dangerous in order to make it better.”

“But…” Pidge worried their lip between their teeth, fidgeting with a pen they picked off the table at some point. “What do I say?”

“Tell them about how you felt and the experiences you had. You can talk about the reconnaissance missions and the distress calls we answered, or even the battles themselves. Or all the different planets we visited and the different people and cultures we got to experience,”

“I remember when I was a cadet I loved hearing anything I could about what it was like to be in space,” Lance recalled, “I’m sure they’d feel the same about anything you told them about being a part of Voltron. It’s likely that none of them have even been off planet before.”

Pidge nodded slowly, letting the thought sink in and they turned it around in their brain. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” The worried lines around their eyes didn’t disappear, though.

“If it would help at all, we can come and be moral support when you talk.” Keith suggested.

“Yeah, I’d be down for that.”

“No, it should be alright,” Pidge said, albeit hesitantly, “Thank you, though.”

“We’re always there for you, Pidge.” The three of them shared a smile.

“Do you happen to know any of these supposed ‘future legendary defenders’?” Lance asked, curious to see who would be following in their footsteps.

“No, but sometimes Matt will point them out when they’re doing drills or training. ” Pidge’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “They’re so small, like babies with access to military equipment.”

“That’s probably how we looked back then, too,” Lance laughed. If possible, Pidge’s face wrinkled further.

“I despise that.”

“You gotta face it, Pidge. You were once a baby gremlin, and now you’re just a slightly-less-baby gremlin.”

“And you’re still a tall fucking beanpole. What’s your point?”

Lance gasped. “I am not a beanpole!” He turned to Keith for backup with the most affronted and hurt expression he could possibly muster, also making an effort to stand up straighter and puff out his chest to accentuate how much he was not a beanpole. “Tell them, Keith!”

“I thought we were actually going to do something. If I wanted to make fun of Lance I would have done that without coming all the way here.” Keith said instead, pointedly not looking at Lance, jaw dropped and staring at Keith in hopes to make him feel guilty for not backing him up.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Pidge flicked their pen onto their desk and shucked their white lab coat in place for their new bright green jacket that Lance remembered them wearing to the war anniversary. “Where are we going?”

Their afternoon passed in casual conversation and catching up over a large plate of cafeteria fries that Lance could never find anywhere else, even if they were way too greasy with an unreasonable amount of salt. Pidge ended up showing them their lab where Chip, their almost-sentient robot sitting on one of the workbenches, powered off and head opened to reveal lots of wires in a state of disarray.

“What happened?” Keith asked upon seeing the state of Pidge’s project.

“Malfunction,” they said simply, moving a few tools out of the way so they could hop up and sit next to Chip. “Something didn’t connect correctly and I’m trying to figure out where it is. He did power on for a second, though! It was so exciting!”

“Is it an easy fix?”

“It should be. I’m not really sure, but it’ll only take me more time if it’s not.”

Pidge went on to explain the basic workings of Chip and Lance tried to follow along as best he could, but most of it went right over his head. They left Pidge later that afternoon, just before the sun began to set, and alongside the same shuttle that they arrived in, a separate ship was waiting on the landing pad for Keith.

“Back to the Blade then?”Lance asked even if he already knew the answer.

“It looks like it.” Keith regarded the dark shuttle with mild contempt, its glowing purple engines taunting him with obligation. “Another mission in the morning.”

“Well,” Lance tried to put on a cheerful smile, patting Keith’s shoulder in encouragement, “I hope it all goes smoothly. Knowing your team you’ll probably be back before noon.”

“I hope.” A beat of silence passed between them, neither ready to say goodbye so soon, but the sun only got lower in the sky and the time to part would come no matter what. “I’ll call you when I get done, yeah?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” After a moment of awkwardly standing, Lance quickly leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Keith’s lips. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Woah, Hunk! This place is super cool!” Lance spun in a circle beneath the high ceiling, a chandelier hung with small, balmeran crystals suspended by a delicate chain and casting brilliant light over the room. Tables set with pristine table clothes and full sets of utensils stood in a spiral throughout the room, untouched as of yet but that would change within a few minutes and the first opening of the large doors. “How did you get it set up so fast?”

Hunk announced only a week ago that he would finally be opening a restaurant with Shay back on Earth in hopes of increasing exposure to intergalactic cuisines. He already had a list of suppliers to bring ingredients from all across the universe and Lance got a headache listening to Hunk explain all of the scheduling with different time zones and measurements.

“I think we’ve got the whole thing finally figured out, but I’m kind of expecting a shipment to come in late or early the first few times,” Hunk laughed. “I just hope it all goes well.”

“You’re a renowned chef across galaxies and a savior of the universe, Hunk! People were dying to try your food even before you even showed a real interest in opening a restaurant.” Lance clapped a hand on Hunk’s shoulder and felt the tension in his muscles: nerves wearing him down. “Trust me bud, it’s going to be great.”

Lance couldn’t have been more right. He watched Hunk step outside to find a large crowd of people waiting, a stream of applause erupting at his appearance. From what Hunk had told Lance, Shay was already out there to gauge how many would be dining on opening night and to talk a bit. Once the door closed behind Hunk, Lance moved over to a window where he could watch. It looked like Hunk gave a small speech, gesturing occasionally to the building and glancing frequently at Shay with a sort of obvious but bashful affection that made Lance want to squeal like a kid. Hunk and Shay had been officially together for around four months at this point, unofficially for way longer, and Hunk confided in Lance one day that he wanted to marry her. He didn’t know when, Hunk made painfully clear, but only that he wouldn’t find someone like Shay anywhere else. This restaurant was a gesture of their love for one another, or, at least Lance saw it that way: a combination of Hunk’s passion for cooking and Shay’s warm hospitality.

When the doors opened, Lance made sure to be standing far enough out of the way to avoid being swamped by customers, but he still put on a warm smile and greeted everyone who followed after Hunk. The restaurant staff sat as many as they could, the rest willing to wait for a seat and a few deciding to come back tomorrow. Despite how excited that his best friend opened a restaurant, his placement at the window was actually for a different reason.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and Lance fished it out, swiping his screen open to many texts from Pidge and a few from Keith as well, all asking the relatively same question with an answer that only Lance could supply once he had it. Too bad he was still waiting.Lance continued to watch the street outside until two people turned the corner walking hand in hand and dressed nicely, like they were going to have a nice night out. Or going out to a nice dinner. Bingo.

A grin spread across Lance’s face and he tapped out a reply to both Pidge and Keith as fast as he could before shoving his phone away and straightening the outfit he had on, one just like the rest of the restaurant staff but accented with a blue tie instead of a standard black in black. He spent a few more seconds watching the couple come down the street and then moved away from the window and instead waited by the door, anxious for their arrival.

The door opened with a gust of cool air from outside that brought with it two familiar faces that Lance was happy to say he’d been seeing more often and together. Shiro held the door in a long black coat made to allow easy wear with his robotic arm and pants to match, the collar of a white shirt peeking out from underneath. Coming through the door beside him was Curtis, his hair combed nicely to one side and his hands idly brushing down the front of a green knit sweater that Lance swore somehow looked more formal than it should, but it fit the occasion, even if Curtis didn’t know it yet. The door barely closed behind them before Lace stepped up, setting everything into motion.

“Welcome gentlemen!” Lance beamed at him, standing proper like a host should. “A table for two, yes?”

“Lance?” Curtis blinked a few times, clearly taken by surprise to see Lance there ready to seat them for dinner. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“I don’t,” Lance said simply, maintaining the smile he liked to refer to as his poker-smile, “But I’ve got a job to do tonight.” He caught Shiro’s eye with a quick wink, the motion unnoticed by Curtis who might just be a little confused. Lucky for him, they already had it all figured out.

“Yes, that would be great,” Shiro answered with an attempt to keep his expression from revealing too much. Lance bit down on a grin.

“Right this way, then.” Lance spun on his heel and made his way through the restaurant and around the main tables to the back wall of the restaurant where there were three curtains hanging against the wall that might have been decorative but they served a much greater purpose. He walked up to the first set of curtains and pulled one side away to reveal a small space with a single table in the middle with a chair on either side and a vase with two pink flowers in the center. The simple yet elegant fixture hanging from the ceiling supplied the room in a gentle, warm light that just barely filled the space and made the whole room appear intimate and cozy. “Here you are,” Lance said, directing Shiro and Curtis into the room. The two of them sat and Lance procured menus. “Your server will be here shortly, I hope you two enjoy your dinner.”

He got a bright thank-you from Shiro and an acknowledgement from Curtis who looked far too concerned with the quality and seclusion of their dining space. Lance gave a small bow and undid the curtain, letting it fall shut again and leaving Shiro and Curtis to their date, because this actually was a date, one of the many they had gone on by now and far from the last, but by Shiro’s request, it was Lance and the others’ job to make this one special.

“Oh my gosh they’re so cute!” Lance gushed, pushing through a door into one of the rooms in the back that had become their headquarters of sorts. “I can tell Shiro’s trying to hide his excitement and poor Curtis is just so confused.”

“I guess that means I’m up.” Pidge looked up from where they were lounging in a rolling chair with their feet up on the table, tapping idly away on their computer that they had brought along. Keith sat across from them, and, like Lance, they both wore the same sort of outfit, though Keith’s tie was a dark red and Pidge sidestepped the tie all together, opting for a sharp green bow tie instead. With a few more clicks Pidge closed their computer and got out of the chair, checking to make sure their outfit was nice and I wrinkled before saluting and exiting the room, off to do their duty as server.

“It went well?” Keith asked and sat up straighter to stretch his arms out in front of him. Lance couldn’t ignore how nice Keith looked dressed up like this, even if it was something as simple as a white button up and black pants with a nice vest to match. Lance slid into the seat next to Keith and leaned against his shoulder, feeling the small flutter his heart never ceased to give whenever he was around the other man.

“Yeah, Shiro couldn’t have picked a better night or better place.” Lance said. Lance remembered the day Shiro and Curtis told Lance and the rest that they were dating and the lack of surprise from everyone. Lance never knew much about Curtis before that and he was honestly curious about the guy that had Shiro so smitten, but months passed and Curtis became a frequent sight alongside Shiro or whenever the ATLAS stopped by New Altea. Now, roughly six months later, Lance could confidently say that there was probably no one else better suited for Shiro. Curtis had a soft personality, rarely ever loud or vibrant, but he laughed at Shiro’s jokes and at his expense and had a dry yet incredibly funny sense of humor that Lance took a while to fully understand. Despite being an unknown at first, Curtis shaped up to be a great guy, and Lance couldn’t be happier that Shiro found someone like him.

“We should do something like that,” Keith hummed absentmindedly as he slid his arm around Lance’s waist and held him close against his side. “We should get dressed up to go out to a nice restaurant and have dinner.”

“Like a date?” Lance asked.

“Yes, a date.” Keith chuckled, breathy and soft. “I know we’ve gone places together, but that’s not the same.”

“Well,” Lance contemplated, “we are in a restaurant run by one of the greatest chefs in the universe and our good friend. We could totally order something and have that date.”

Keith looked around at the plain room that hardly looked like it belonged with the rest of the restaurant. “In here? I expect something nicer, Lance.”

“Hunk’s food can make up for what the room lacks in atmosphere.”

“Might I remind you that we’re actually here because we have a job to do?” Keith tried to sound stern but Lance knew him too well to ignore the subtle tilt of his lips and the shine in his eyes. If it were just them here right now, Lance was sure that Keith would agree to the pseudo “date”.

“Alright, I’ll make sure to plan a date for when we don’t have jobs to do.”

“Why, thank you for being so considerate.”

The door opened at that moment and Pidge strode in to resume their exact position in the rolling chair. “The order is in, and now we wait,” they declared. “What were you two talking about?”

Lance smirked. “Keith wants me to take him out on a date.” He boasted. He thought Pidge might laugh because they all knew that Keith rarely gave any thought to that type of stuff, but instead they turned their focus to Lance with a look of disappointment.

“You guys have been together for how long?” They asked.

“Nine months.”

“And you two haven’t been on a date? Lance, what happened to you? Where did your romance disappear to?”

Lance opened his mouth but Keith answered instead. “We’ve been busy between Lance’s work on New Altea and my duties with the Blade, so it’s not his fault.”

Truth be told, Lance had a whole list of things he wanted to do with Keith: Planets they should visit together, restaurants and cafes that seemed like the perfect place for a date, and certain lakes and meadows on New Altea that took Lance’s breath away whenever he went. Just, like Keith said, their schedules were very full and rarely overlapped. It didn’t bother Lance because something as menial as distance never mattered before and that didn’t change now, but it would be nice to not always have other priorities that got in their way.

“Whatever.” Pidge shrugged, clearly uninterested. “By the way, I ordered one of the appetizers along with Shiro and Curtis’s food so Keith, when you see the fry-looking things, bring those here.”

Keith frowned. “You do know that your order will be charged to them, right?”

“Eh, they won’t mind. Either way, I can repay them. And Keith, you should be waiting by the kitchen now. Wouldn’t want their food to be late.”

Keith grumbled but got to his feet without complaint. Even he couldn’t deny that very little could but a damper on the mood as of yet. “And don’t forget my food!” Pidge called after Keith as he disappeared out the door.

“So, was Curtis suspicious?” Lance asked, turning his full attention to Pidge. He wanted to know what was going on so bad, but Hunk hadn’t gotten around to installing cameras for security in the private rooms so Lance would have to be satisfied with whatever Pidge could recount.

“A little. Right now I think he just thinks we’re Hunk’s friends helping out with opening night. He might think something’s up once he sees Keith, though.”

“And Shiro?”

“Ugh, he cannot keep a smile off his face!” They heaved an exasperated sigh, “I swear he’s going to blow the surprise before they even finish eating.”

“Cut the man some slack. It’s a big night.”

“He could put in an effort though.”

“Oh, you know nothing about love and romance, Pidge.” Lance lamented, “Maybe one day you’ll understand.”

“I’m quite fine, thank you very much.”

“Whatever you say.” Lance rolled his eyes but snorted a breath of laughter.

Keith returned ten or so minutes later and the three of them sat around with the exception of Pidge, who got up occasionally to check on Shiro and Curtis in order to gauge when dessert should be served. Now, normally restaurants will hand out a menu listing their options, but Hunk agreed to whip up a special just for them: a Neapolitan mouse that Lance thought was quite strange, though it was Curtis’s favorite and therefore Shiro’s request. This time when Keith left to get the dessert Pidge and Lance followed eagerly, making sure to stay out of sight as Keith pushed through the curtain, plate in hand and a cheerful tone as he said, “I hope you enjoy the dessert, specially made by the chef.”

Their thank-yous came from Shiro and Curtis before Keith reappeared on the other side of the curtain, making a show of closing it firmly just so Lance could part it the smallest bit, just enough to see Shiro smile down at a shocked Curtis.

“I have never been to a restaurant that serves this,” He said, looking between Shiro and the dessert, “Did you know they had this?”

“Well, I know the chef,” was Shiro’s only response, met with a curious glance from Curtis. He picked up his spoon and took a bite, his face lighting up instantaneously.

They must have looked stupid — Lance, Pidge, and Keith — standing just outside the curtains and peeking between them as discreetly as possible, because this was the moment that this night was leading up to, the whole reason for their presence and effort, the special room, the restaurant, all of it.

“What, did you ask Hunk specifically to make neapolitan mouse tonight for our date?” Curtis said it clearly as a joke, smiling to himself like he found the idea funny, something found in a movie or a book.

“That’s exactly what I did.”

Curtis froze in his movement, spoon hovering a few inches from his mouth, open and ready for the bite that wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. “Come on, no you didn’t.”

“I did.” Shiro said again, the picture of at-ease even though Lance could imagine all of the emotions rushing around his head in a flurry.

“And he just agreed?” Curtis put his spoon down all together. “What for?”

“Because,” Shiro said, and Lance saw his hands grip the napkin in his lap, “It’s something you love and something you can’t find a lot of places, and I’ve known you for quite a while now, and, as you know, I love you.”

“Yes, but you can love me and order a regular dessert without burdening the chef on the opening night of his restaurant.” Curtis tried to sound annoyed but a blush stained his cheeks, a sure sign that he appreciated the sentiment.

“But it made you feel special, right?” Shiro asked, and he wasn’t really looking for an answer but Curtis nodded anyway. “Well, I’ve been to a lot of places, and I’ve never found someone quite like you until I did, and I’m so glad that I did.”

At this moment a few different emotions passed over Curtis’s face in an attempt to figure out the purpose behind Shiro’s words. Lance, Pidge, and Keith didn’t need to wonder about what was coming next, but they held their breaths anyway just like Curtis, waiting to see what Shiro was building up to.

“I love your eyes and your smile, your laugh and your voice. You’re always exactly what I need when I’m down, even if I don’t recognize it at first, and there hasn’t been a day since I met you that I haven’t wanted to see you.” Shiro reached across the table and laid his hand over Curtis’s, the action going almost unnoticed by the other man as his full attention was locked on Shiro and every word out of his mouth.

Lance but down on a massive grin, stifling the squeal of joy and squealing Keirh’s arm tightly next to him as they all watched Shiro slide out of his chair and step up beside Curtis, still holding his hand when he dropped to one knee and, with his other hand, raised a small black box that he had gotten out of his jacket pocket.

“Takashi…” Curtis stared down at the box in Shiro’s hand, finally connecting the dots all at once.

With the flick of his thumb Shiro popped the box open to reveal a simple metal band, a ring that sparkled with a few small, discreet diamonds in the light. Curtis’s breath caught audibly in the silence and Lance held his in suspense. “Curtis,” Shiro said, so much affection going into the name, “You are my favorite person. I love you so much, everything about you, and if you’ll allow it, I want to continue to love you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”

Curtis’s reply came in a rush, a whispered word that rang loud throughout the room with all the power it held, the future that it solidified and the dreams that would come from it, a spoken seal uttered through a smile threatening to break loose with all of the joy in the universe.

“Yes,” he said without a second thought, too dumbstruck to say anything else. It wasn’t until Shiro slipped the ring onto his finger and had the buggiest, stupid smile on his face did Curtis seem to realize what actually happened. His eyes glistened and Lance could see his mouth twitching, fighting the happy tears to break out into a bright grin and he pulled Shiro towards him, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss that melted Lance’s heart. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

From outside the curtain Lance had to look away afraid that he might actually die from how in-love those two were. Despite their general dislike of romance Pidge watched with approval on their face, a happiness that stemmed from the happiness of Shiro and Curtis. To his right, Keith looked on with a proud smile, watching the man who had basically become a big brother to him fall in love again and take back a life that war had previously stolen. Almost another year had gone by and things were settling now, the peace treaties and coalition signings almost wrapped up as everyone began to settle back into a normal life, and now Shiro and Curtis would get to enjoy theirs together along with many others.

***

The sunrise painted the sky in streaks of orange that reminded Lance of the desert around the Garrison as he stepped out of his house, lugging his suitcase after him. All of New Altea’s foothills were highlighted by the fire of daybreak before the sun could illuminate the vibrant green and ruin the scene.

“Rachel, we’re going to miss the shuttle!” He yelled back through the door.

“Yeah yeah, we’ve got tons of time.”

Lance heaved a sigh, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Living on New Altea didn’t require him to wake up early everyday like he used to and now Lance rarely saw the sunrise anymore, and that was a small price to pay considering how great sleep felt and how his body might as well be made of lead without his allotted 8 hours of beauty sleep.

“You’re lucky I haven’t left you yet. Ronnie and Acxa are already there, waiting on you.”

“Impatient much?” Rachel grumbled, finally appearing from around the corner and violently pulling the door closed behind her.

“Tardy much?” Lance shot back, locking the door, “Now let’s go.”

“When did you get so grumpy? What happened to my fun brother Lance?”

“He’ll be back once he gets two more hours of sleep and his sister on the damn shuttle.”

Rachel grumbled behind him as he picked up his suitcase and stomped away. At this point Lance didn’t even care if she was following him, but he wasn’t going to miss the flight back home because someone didn’t pack the night before like Lance told her to. With the help of Pidge and their dad, Earth underwent a stream of technological advancements but the Garrison’s teludav still required some fine tuning and was often under repairs, so that meant most travel to and from would take as long as the fastest shuttle could fly. While Lance would have complained, the distance wasn’t terrible and it provided the perfect opportunity to catch up on his missed z’s.

“I was beginning to think you guys decided to stay back,” Veronica quipped as Lance stepped aboard, hauling his bag into holding and falling back into one of the empty seats. From beside her came Acxa’s stifled laugh, silenced by Lance’s rueful scowl but her eyes danced with amusement.

“Is everyone here?” The pilot asked over their shoulder, dipping a switch on their control panel.

“Yep, all here.” Rachel stepped into the shuttle, swinging her bag right into Lance’s side and taking the seat next to him.

“Just in time. We will be departing in a few moments.”

“Get your stuff off me.” Lance shoved the bag onto Rachel’s lap and leaned back against the seat. The lighting in the shuttle was just bright enough to see clearly, the same as the light outside now. It would be a few hours before they reached the Garrison and Lance’s eyelids already began to droop. Beneath him he felt the shuttle rise off the ground before the gentle hum of the engines and familiar sensation of flying lulled him to sleep.

***

Salt filled the air with the familiar smell of the sea, a warm wind tugging at the fronds of the palm trees and dancing grass along the road. Out the window Lance watched the rows of young crops sunning themselves in the afternoon light.

“Mamá!” Lance flung the car door open the moment it came to a stop outside the house, throwing himself at his mother as she enveloped him in a hug.

“Welcome back, welcome back!” She cried. From behind Rachel plowed into them, burying her face in their mother’s shoulder who only laughed and moved her arm to hold them both.

“I missed you so much! You would not believe how terrible it is to eat Lance’s cooking all the time!” Rachel lamented, elbowing Lance in the ribs while she was at it.

“Oh, I can believe that,” their mother said, though she winked at Lance with a sly smile.

They all untangled themselves so Veronica could get a hug in as well and Mrs. McClain was very adamant about not letting Acxa escape until she got one as well.

“I thought I heard a commotion.” Lance’s father stepped through the front door and more hugs were shelled out.

The last time Lance saw his family in person was the morning he left for New Altea, scared out of his mind and practically humming with nervous energy, and now he was back almost a year later a new man, or rather, the same man he thought he might never be again. Lance worried that it might be different when he came back, but he reminded himself that, compared to the years he spent away, a few months was nothing in comparison. They all laughed like they used to, smiled just as warmly.

“Tía Rachel! Tía Ronnie! Tío Lance!” A cry erupted from the house as Sylvio and Nadia burst through the front door, dashing at full speed towards the three of them.

“Woah, look how big you both have gotten!” Lance exclaimed as Sylvio barreled into Lance’s legs, strangling them with his little arms. The twins raced around, giggling as they celebrated the return and buzzing with questions.

“Did you get to fly in a spaceship?” Nadia asked Rachel, clapping her hands excitedly.

“I got to ride in one, yes.” Rachel smiled, ruffling Nadia’s hair. The little girl gasped in awe and ran back to her mom standing on the front porch.

“Mama Mama! I want to go in a spaceship! Can I go in a spaceship?”

“I want to go in a spaceship too!” Sylvio chimed in. He ran desperately to his sister's side as if Lisa might only agree to one of them.

“Hm, I’ll have to think about it.” She chuckled fondly at them as they squealed some more.

Lance watched all of them and his chest warmed. He loved his family and he remembered being scared of having to choose between one or the other, but family doesn’t work like that. They would always be here, the same people he grew up with, the same people who know and love him, no strings attached; no matter where he goes, he will always have his home right here.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Lance’s mother stepped up beside him, “Why don’t you go inside, there’s something for you in there.”

“Ooh, what is it?” Lance asked, interest piqued at the idea of a surprise. Knowing his mom it could be anything, but Lance had a sneaking suspicion it was something food related. “Did you make garlic knots?”

“No,” she shook her head fondly, pushing him gently towards the house. “You’ll have to go see for yourself.”

“Oookay then.”

If his mother hadn’t made garlic knots, surely the surprise was something else, possibly even better than garlic knots, though the likelihood of that was slim. Lance slipped into the kitchen and gave the counters a quick once over, then the stove and oven for good measure, but no food sat waiting. He wandered down the hall and into his room only to find it exactly as he left it, though the blankets may have been washed since then. That still left Lance without an answer.

“Mamá, what—”

Lance made it to the entryway when strong arms snaked around his waist from behind to pull him back against a firm chest and all words died on his tongue as Lance jumped about a foot in the air. A low, breathy chuckle rumbled in his ear and lips pressed a gentle yet searing kiss onto the back of Lance’s neck. Every hair on Lance’s body stood on end, though when his hands came to rest on the arms around his waist, he didn’t push them away, running his fingers over familiar, worn leather gloves. The arms around Lance’s waist loosened and he spun in their circle to see exactly what he knew awaited him.

“If I had known the surprise was you I wouldn’t have spent all that time searching the kitchen.”

“Surprise.” Keith smirked, though his attempt at a suave and mysterious welcome was ruined by the way his eyes lit up when they fell on Lance’s face and the smile that rose unbidden on his lips. Lance saw this face nearly every single day from across a screen but the colored pixels never did justice to the soft pink that colored Keith’s pale cheeks or the angry red of the scar that ran up the side of his face to his eyes: those beautiful, beautiful eyes.

“Let me guess, you just forgot to mention that you were coming to visit, hm? That seems like something you’d tell your boyfriend.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Keith raised a challenging eyebrow that looked quite silly with the darkening of his face. It was Lance’s turn to smirk.

“Because one of the most important things in a relationship is open communication.”

Keith coughed. “So you’re gonna tell me you’re upset that I’m here simply because I didn’t tell you?”

“No. You’re just cute when you get flustered.”

“Oh, shut up,” Keith huffed, swatting at Lance's arm. Lance grabbed his wrist and pulled Keith towards him, sealing the startled sound out of Keith’s lips away with a kiss. He meant for it to be sweet and quick, a peck that would have Keith pouting at him afterwards. Keith inclined his head, leaning into the kiss and Lance realized quickly that he couldn’t make it as chaste as he thought, reveling in the feel of Keith’s lips against his. Only three months had passed since he last saw Keith at the opening of Hunk’s restaurant, three months since Lance had last seen Keith in person. Three months never felt so long in Lance’s life, and now Keith was there in his arms and he didn’t want to let go so soon.

The door slamming open against the wall startled them apart, eyes flying open in surprise. Children’s voices drew closer as Sylvio and Nadia raced into the house, bypassing Lance and Keith completely and disappearing down the hallway. The sound of chatter came from the rest of Lance’s family coming back inside and Lance reluctantly released Keith. The day after the memorial Lance had burst through his front door to a surprised Rachel and Veronica, who had been living with Lance for a few weeks at that point. They immediately got the whole story from Lance, complete with the uncontrolled blushing as he described the night leading up to their confessions and the kiss. He told his parents not long after during a call, and he could see the approval in their eyes. They had always liked Keith, but Lance knew they were also happy to see him this happy again. Still, it might be better if his whole family didn’t walk in on the two of them mid-kiss.

“Better than garlic knots, I presume.” Lance’s mother eyed the two of them fondly when she walked into the room, his father at her side.

“Knowing him, no.” Rachel brushed past them to disappear into the kitchen.

“Rude!” Lance called after her, ignoring the snickering from Keith. “There was a higher chance of garlic knots than Keith. That’s like winning the lottery.”

A fist connected with Lance’s upper arm, fairly painless but definitely a shock. “Ow! What was that for?” He asked, looking questioningly to Keith beside him, his head ducked so his fringe hid all but the tips of his ears which were beet red.

“You’re a sap, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” Lance wanted to say more. The lottery thing slipped out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying even though that didn’t even begin to encompass all he felt for Keith. Instead he wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. “Too much?”

Keith’s head snapped up, shoulders tense under Lance’s arm and he watched Keith’s eyes dart in the direction of Lance’s parents talking with Acxa and Veronica just inside the door

“Do they…” An unasked question, a worry without need for words.

Lance made a show of following Keith’s gaze before smiling, albeit a little bashful. “I told them about us, yeah.”

All of the tension left Keith’s shoulders with an exhale, fully leaning into Lance now that he knew they didn’t need to hide anything. It filled Lance’s heart with a warmth that was becoming more and more common whenever Keith was around.

“No.” Keith said after a moment like the answer to a question.

“No what?”

Keith tilted his head up, looking Lance in the eyes. “No, you’re not too much. This is all just right.”

Lance squeezed Keith’s shoulders tighter and pressed a kiss to the top of his head in a losing battle to keep his heartbeat steady.

***

Later that night, Lance brought Keith down to the beach so they could watch the sunset, the sky dissolving into a myriad of colors as the day neared its end. They blew through the afternoon like nothing, catching up and becoming reacquainted with home. Lance’s mother prepared a large lunch to be followed by what Lance assumed would be an even larger dinner and they all ate until they stuffed themselves. He walked Keith out here shortly after, dawdling along the footpath that led to the beach, stopping to look at the flowers or scurrying insects along the way, and they’d been out ever since. Last time they spent hours splashing through the surf, shrieking and laughing as they fell one after the other, over and over. Now they sat on a towel spread over the sand, hips and shoulders touching and feet buried beneath the warm sand. The perfect end to a day like this, Lance determined.

Next to him, Keith fingered the sleeve of Lance’s T-shirt, arms crossed over his knees so he could rest his chin on them. He tied his hair back today, claiming something about not wanting sand in it. Lance never gave up a chance to criticize Keith’s hair, but as he’s come to know, he likes it a lot. It’s recognizable, something Lance could easily pick out of a crowd or pick fun at, and all of his comments aside, he liked how the style looked on Keith: Long enough to get tugged by the wind and to hide his eyes when he got shy, short enough that Lance could still call it a mullet in good conscience. Lance may still think the style is silly, but Keith made it work somehow. Or maybe it works because it’s Keith. Damn, I am a sap, Lance sighed inwardly.

He lifted his hand to twirl Keith’s ponytail through his fingers, getting the man’s attention. Out of the corner of Lance’s eye he saw Keith’s head tilt, a soft hum escaping him. Lance trailed his fingers down the back of Keith’s neck, feeling the man shiver under his touch before he slid his arm around Keith’s shoulders and pulled him against his side. Keith fell into him without resistance, lifting his chin from his knees only to rest it against Lance’s chest. Lance took in the moment, letting his eyes linger on Keith and how perfectly he fit against Lance, side by side the way the two of them were always meant to be, Lance figured. If only moments like this would last forever.

“It’s nice out today,” Lance commented, breathless and just able to conceal the giddy feeling bubbling in his chest. Keith hummed in assent, the sound vibrating from his chest into Lance’s. “How long are you staying this time?” Lance asked, knowing that he’d only get a few more days of this at most before Keith had to go back to the Blade.

“I’m not sure,” came the reply. That didn’t sound right.

“What do you mean, you’re not sure? I thought the Blade only gave you a certain number of days off.”

“They do.” A sigh escaped Keith and he leaned further into Lance. “I’m not with the Blade right now, though.”

Lance froze, hand stilling where it absentmindedly trailed along Keith’s arm. “What happened?” The stillness of his voice betrayed his concern, fearing the worst.

“Nothing.” A pause. “You happened.”

“Hmm.” Lance ran his thumb along the edge of Keith’s shirt sleeve, doing his best not to pull him closer. “You walked away and they were alright with that?”

“No, I heard quite the bit from my team, but Kolivan only wished me well,” Keith said with a small chuckle. “I intend to go back at some point, I told him that, but he understands that I need a break.”

“I’m glad you’re able to acknowledge it, though I will admit you’ve handled all the work incredibly well.

“Thanks, Lance.” Keith tilted his head up, gazing into Lance’s eyes with a pleasant smile, one that Lance found himself mirroring.

“Are you ever going to go back?”

“I think so. Maybe,” Keith hummed. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Lance knew full well Keith already knew what he was going to do but he let it slide, comfortable to consider all of the time they had.

“What’re you going to do until then?”

Lance expected Keith to need some time to think or to shrug and say he didn’t know, but Keith’s answer came ready on his tongue, sure as ever. “I’m going to live my life,” he declared, “I’ve never had one that I felt was mine to live, always searching for a place where I belong; somewhere I can stop running.”

Lance studied Keith in the short silence that followed. He saw his rumpled shirt and borrowed shorts instead of the Blade uniform; the softness in his eyes and the gentle tilt of his lips instead of the angry red scar that ran up his cheek. Keith was so many things, but Keith had always been a fighter. From day one Lance only ever saw Keith in motion, breezing through drills and throwing fists with the other kids, trailing after Shiro, then running. Always running. Swinging a sword, fighting his way through life one day at a time, hardly stopping to breathe. One day to the next. One mission and then another and another and another. He tried to connect that image of a boy in his mind with the person held right against his side, guard down and relaxed.

“I’m not a romantic, not like you are.” Keith said absentmindedly. I never thought I’d want something as simple as sitting on a beach holding someone’s hand. I always hated staying in one place for too long. I get restless, like I’m wasting my time lingering when I could be somewhere else doing something,” Keith continued, facing the sun slowly dipping further towards the horizon. It cast a warm glow over Keith’s features, highlighting his cheeks and nose, bringing out the color in his eyes and making them shine. “Without a purpose, a mission, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Eventually it became a habit, a routine that I could easily fall into without much effort, and I just didn’t stop.”

“What changed then?”

“I got to see what it would be like to stop.” He fiddled absentmindedly with the hem of Lance’s shorts that he borrowed for the day. “In the quantum abyss I got to see snippets of a potential future, and in them I wasn’t fighting the Galra or going on missions for the Blade or saving the universe. I was doing stupidly normal things that everyone does: eating dinner, walking somewhere, sitting outside, but I knew in those moments that I was happy.” Keith leaned further into Lance, scooting up right next to him until their thighs pressed flush against one another and Keith’s shoulders were tucked snugly under Lance’s arm, his head resting just above where Lance’s heart thrummed in his chest. “I was happy because you were there with me,” He whispered, “Just like this, right now.”

Lance’s breath caught in his throat. He opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out, no thoughts even racing to escape. For once his mind was empty, but his heart was so, so full. Keith didn’t seem to mind the lack of response, content to sit with Lance’s arm around him, leaning into one another as the sky took on a color like fire. Fire like the light that flickered behind Keith’s eyes when he had them set on a goal. Fire like the warm presence of Red in Lance’s mind. Fire like the feelings tumbling around in Lance’s chest, violent and untamed until he thought he might combust.

“When I go back to New Altea, what’re you going to do?” Lance whispered, barely concealing his anticipation. He knew what he wanted Keith’s answer to be.

Keith stilled, his hands picking at the hem of his shorts coming to rest on his knees and freezing time where the both of them sat, waiting. “I’m coming with you.” The confidence that Keith carried so easily escaped him then, his decisiveness petering out until he tilted his head back and their eyes met, “Only if it’s alright with you, that is.”

“Of course,” Lance breathed. He got to see joy overtake Keith’s face for a split second as he ducked down and caught Keith’s lips in an eager kiss if only because his face would hurt too much from the grin that threatened to break out across it. Keith inhaled sharply at first, surprised, but it was exhaled in a soft moan as Keith gave into the kiss without another thought.

“I want to sit on the beach with you and go on dates with you,” Keith whispered against Lance’s lips, confessing the contents of his heart.

“And wake up in your arms and travel and see so many things, just the two of us,” Lance continued without missing a beat, “Everything.”

All of his senses became overwhelmed by Keith and nothing else, the smell of salt and the sea and the fading afternoon sun encompassing them until Lance felt like he was in a dream, one that became more and more real by the moment. In an attempt to relieve the strange angle of their kiss, Keith tried to sit up straighter, but the soft and uneven sand beneath them had other ideas, and suddenly Lance found himself tipping sideways, pulled along by Keith’s weight. With a startled yelp Keith landed sideways with Lance right behind him, sand immediately finding its way into his shirt and hair, an odd sensation even after growing up on the beach with sand practically ingrained into his being. He barked a laugh before rolling behind Keith and wrapping his arms around his torso, burying his face in Keith’s neck and pulling him into his chest.

“Aw, Lance! There’s sand in my mouth!” Keith grumbled, swiping at his face like that would solve the issue.

“Oh no,” Lance mock-gasped, “How terrible.” In one swift movement Lance rolled onto his back, arms still wrapped tightly around Keith until he laid on top of him, face to the sky, arms and legs flailing as he tried to regain some sort of orientation. “That better?”

Keith grunted and turned over until they were pressed chest to chest, Keith’s arms folded under his chin as he looked down at Lance, amusement dancing across his face and settling in his eyes to chase away any leftover annoyance. “Mm, there’s still sand in my mouth.” He leaned down, eyes darkening as a smile flitted over his lips right before he pressed them to Lance’s in another kiss, a touch of the molten sun from the sky spreading warmth beneath Lance’s skin.

For all the flirting he liked to do, Lance kissed very few people, his romantic side keeping him from throwing out his affections to whoever caught his eye. Anyone can give a compliment or flash a smile, but kissing, that was something intimate and special in Lance’s eyes, not meant to be shared by anyone and everyone. It didn’t take Lance long after getting to know Keith to wonder what it would be like to kiss him, to make his breath still in his lungs and feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, to see what it would take to soothe the pinch between his brows and paint his cheeks in a pretty pink. He imagined Keith much like the sensation of Red in his mind: violent and fiery to an almost uncomfortable degree yet so much better than the cold, but Keith’s fire kissed tenderly, hot but not enough to burn Lance where they touched, be it a hand on an arm or their lips on each other. Either way, Lance already knew long ago he would let the flames consume him one way or another, either they would burn bright or burn out. He relished the growing spark between them.

Small moments, Keith said. Moments like these that hold little meaning in the big picture but mean all the more in the present, moments where two people can exist with one another without a war or so many planets hovering over their shoulders. Time like this used to feel stolen, borrowed from the universe who fully intended to come reclaim it later, but this time belonged to them and them alone. One day Keith would go back to the Blade — because there was no doubt in Lance’s mind that Keith would leave for good, he cared to much about the cause and Lance loved the way his face lit up when he talked about all of their efforts — and when that day came their time would not only be theirs, but there was so much time between then and now. They would spend it on beaches and in the ocean, in coffee shops and walking down sidewalks, waking up and falling asleep in one another’s arms and getting to live like people do.

Once the sun slipped behind the horizon and darkness fell over the beach Lance and Keith meandered along the path back to the house, sand on their skin and in their clothes, destined to stay in their hair for the foreseeable future. Bare feet leave footprints in their wake, crickets chirp in the grass and stars twinkle above, the gentle crash of the ocean wishing them a goodnight and settling to sway the rest of the world to sleep. Between them, Lance’s fingers were laced with Keith’s, their joined hands swinging between them in time with their steps as they walked. Originally Lance tried to keep his gaze from straying to Keith so often but he eventually gave up, knowing Keith would get a few quips in if he caught him but nothing more. Besides, Lance lived his life here, knew the land like the back of his hand, and now he got to see just how perfectly Keith fit into the world he had known for so long, how seamlessly Keith fit into every aspect of Lance’s life.

“I can see you staring.” Oh. Looks like Lance was caught after all. “Do you have something to say, or do you want me to go back to pretending I’m not aware?”

“I love you.”

The admission escaped him in a rush and Lance didn’t even consider whether or not now was the right time to say such a thing, knowing that his feelings wouldn’t change and it might just kill Lance if he had to hold them in one more time. Keith didn’t respond, the only signal that he heard Lance being how his hold on Lance’s hand tightened imperceptibly, his footsteps remaining even as they walked and Lance wished Keith didn’t have an incredible poker face. Should he say something? Keith was never very affectionate, physically or verbally, so Lance understood perfectly well if Keith was uncomfortable expressing himself with words. The longer Keith remained unresponsive, though, the more Lance began to worry.

“Sorry, I sprung that on you out of nowhere.” Lance tried for a smile but it came out more like a grimace. “I just… I do.” He pulled Keith to a stop in the middle of the path. “I love you.” Their joined hands held between them were the only thing keeping Lance from panicking. If Keith had a problem with Lance’s admission he would have pulled away, right? Instead Keith met Lance’s eyes, an unreadable expression behind them that left Lance waiting for something, anything, from Keith, even if it wasn’t exactly what Lance wanted to hear.

The distant waves caressed the shore, their gentle crash falling across the night and slipping into the quiet, and it was against the hush that Keith whispered, “I’ve never been in love.” His words hung in the air between them and his gaze trailed down Lance to their joined hands as if they were the most fascinating things in the world, a calloused thumb running over the smoothe skin of Lance’s knuckles, a gesture so small yet so tender that had Lance’s breath catching in his throat. “I might—” He ran his tongue over his lips and Lance’s eyes tracked the movement only to linger to see Keith try to form words until he surprised Lance yet again. “I think I do, too.” He held tightly to Lance’s hand, eyes hardening with determination, such a serious expression for a moment like this but Lance couldn’t find it in himself to care because Keith would be the type to be serious in a moment like this and Lance honestly didn’t care. If Keith was serious that meant he meant it, and there was nothing better than Keith looking straight at Lance with no hesitation or uncertainty, and saying, “I love you.”

Lance froze, breath stilled and heart daring to beat, for if he allowed it free reign it may just fly right out of his chest. It was quite obvious that Keith liked him a great deal but Lance had no idea how far those feelings went. He had hoped; he had tried not to. From the moment he acknowledged how he felt for Keith he knew he was in love, there was no doubt in his mind that it could be anything else.

And Keith loved him back.

The night around them might as well have started singing, the stars shining ten times brighter than before and the droning of crickets and cicadas harmonizing into a wonderful melody that held no flame to the sound of Keith’s voice and the fierce emotion in his eyes. Words failed Lance for the first time… probably ever, and he pulled Keith to him for another firm kiss, cut short by the cheeky grin overtaking Lance’s face. Then he started to laugh, a giddy thing that bubbled up from his throat and urged him to grab Keith and spin them across the path, lost in the euphoria of the evening and the overflowing happiness in his soul. Nothing compared to this feeling, not even winning the war against Honerva. Lance wondered briefly what kind of person that made him, but if anything it made him human. So much in his life had been left up to forces beyond his control, but this love was his, was Keith’s, was theirs, and felt much more rewarding to see Keith’s bright smile stretching across his face, laughing just as much as Lance now, and holding him close. They’ve been like this since the very beginning: Lance and Keith, Keith and Lance, and would be to the very end: neck and neck, back to back, and hand in hand.