Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Urgh...stars, it felt like they were never-ending..." Pidge groaned, stretching her shoulders out as she and Hunk entered the castle. It was the middle of the...well, not the night, but in the middle of their sleep cycle when they had all been woken to the castle shaking. Despite having stayed in a quieter galaxy for some rest, it seemed they still caught the attention of a Galran fleet that had also been passing by that area for the same reason.

Either way, it lead to yet another run-of-the-mill battle. It was weird; getting used to these fights. It really was just another day in the life of a Voltron paladin. A day that left them all exhausted and covered in more scrapes than they could count.

"Tell me about it. I thought it would never stop..." Hunk yawned, rubbing his shoulder.

Shiro, Allura, Keith and Coran were already there. And despite the Princess' posture, it was clear that she too was tired from the sudden fight. They turned to Hunk and Pidge as they approached.

"Pidge, Hunk, nice to see you. Considering the promptness and lack of preparation, you both handled yourselves splendidly." The Princess smiled tiredly at them. Hunk chuckled.

"I felt for sure we would be toast out there. But I don't think the Galra were expecting us to be here either."

Keith nodded, arms crossed as he thought over the battle. "We were lucky that we seemed to just cross paths. But if it had been a planned ambush then it wouldn't have gone as well as it did."

"We should probably move the castle somewhere else then. It's likely that the retreating ships would have alerted any other Galra ships. We're all still exhausted and we're basically sitting ducks." Pidge frowned as she thought it over. 

Shiro nodded, looking between them. "Good idea. We don't want to risk an actual planned attack. We all need rest." He looked over all of them, brows furrowed. "I'm glad to see no one is too injured. Have any of you seen Lance? I know Blue was the last lion to return but I was certain Lance would have returned by now. We need to debrief him before we all rest."

Hunk frowned, sharing a concerned glance with Pidge. "We're not sure. He mentioned checking Blue over before returning. Blue took some pretty heavy hits in that fight."

Allura's brow furrowed, placing a hand on a podium and speaking, allowing her voice to broadcast throughout the castle.

"Come in Lance, you are required in the control room." She kept it brief.

They all waited, concerned for their blue paladin. He had been strangely quiet on the comms since the end of the battle. Even in the midst of the fight when he started taking those heavier hits as he played distraction. Keith's eyes were sharp, foot tapping impatiently on the ground as Hunk. wrung his hands together.

Finally, after at least 60 tics, Lance stumbled into the room, bruised and clutching his shoulder. He smiled shakily up at them all as he limped in.

"Uh, hey guys! Sorry it took me a while. Had to make sure Blue was alright, she took some pretty heavy hits."

His voice knocked everyone out of their frozen stupor, and they all ran towards him, crowding around him with worried shouts of "Lance!"

Pidge darted towards him, hands hovering over him worriedly as Shiro and Hunk both helped support Lance and lead him to sit down. Allura's eyes were wide, seeming very out of place.

Lance winced, swatting their hands away.

"Dios mío, I'm fine. Just a little banged up." He pat Pidge on the head with a warm smile, but it did nothing to assuage their concerns.

"Lance." his eyes darted up, meeting Shiro's stern eyes, brows turned up in worry. Lance couldn't help but bite his lip, unable to lie when they all looked at him like that.

He yelps as he feel a hand land on his injured shoulder. He whips his head around, finding Keith looking at him with a scowl.

"What the hell mullet? Warn a guy will you?"

Keith didn't respond, just glaring at him still. Wait, no. Not at him, but at his shoulder.

"Idiot. You've clearly injured your shoulder. It needs to be looked at." He says shortly, loud enough so everyone can hear.

"How bad is the injury?" Coran inquires as Pidge begins scanning Lance. "Unfortunately, the healing pods are out of commission for the moment for maintenance and to save energy. Lance winces at that.

"Dislocation." Pidge says after the scan finishes. "Both your right shoulder and your left ankle? We knew you took some heavy hits but..."

Hunk hovered behind Lance, panic on his face.

"Oh no, oh no. This isn't good. What will we do without the healing pod?"

Lance shrugged with his good shoulder.

"Someone will need to pop them back into place." Shiro stated, appearing perfectly composed, but his jaw was clenched. Lance sighed but nodded in resignation.

"C'mon guys, it'll be fine. It's not the first dislocation I've dealt with. Granted, last time was a small one as I only dislocated my finger but-" He rambled, trying to cover up his nerves. Shiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Everyone calm down." Everybody quieted at the tone- the Space Dad tone, looking at him.

"Right," He started again. "Has anyone hear gotten medical training?"

They all glanced at each other and nodded, while the Alteans stood to the side, watching the encounter in a mixture of confusion and concern. Shiro nodded himself. It was standard at the Garrison that everyone went though extensive medical training. He just wanted to check.

"I assumed so. Right, Lance, you just sit still and get comfy. We'll sort it out as quickly as we can, okay?" Lance nodded, still cradling his shoulder, his injured leg elevated and resting on Hunk's lap. Hunk was careful not to touch the afflicted area, patting and rubbing Lance's leg in a soothing motion. Still, the Blue paladin's discomfort and pain was palpable. Shiro forced himself to take a deep breath.

"I know it hurts buddy. I promise it's not for much longer." He held eye contact with the sharpshooter, who nodded gratefully.

"Okay. Sooner we set the injuries, the better. Hunk, stay in that position and keep his leg steady. Pidge- yeah, that works." Pidge was at Lance's side, running many scans while holding his hand. Yeah, Shiro wasn't going to make her set the limbs. He frowned, then called out to Coran and Allura.

"Do you have any painkillers? Something to help with the pain?"

Coran spoke up, frowning. "We do but...only something that can be ingested, and it's made for Alteans and not humans. There's no saying what the potency will be, or the side effects."

Shiro frowned, but Lance spoke up before anything else.

"I'll be fine without painkillers. Really, I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible." He said with a strained smile. Keith frowned, reaching out to rest one hand on his uninjured shoulder, the opposite side of Pidge. They all looked worried about that, but Lance looked at Shiro with determination. Shiro took some careful breaths.

"Okay. It's not ideal but we'll make do. I'll help set your shoulder. Hunk, do you think you can do his ankle?" Hunk's eyes were wide and his hands shook, but he nodded.

"Yeah- yeah, I can." Shiro nodded. Okay, they can work with this.

"Pidge and Keith, I need you to just support Lance should he try to jerk away." The two nodded.

"I'm sorry, but what are you doing?" Allura finally voiced her confusion, unable to follow the conversation.

"Setting his arm and ankle back into place." Pidge states, looking at the princess. She still looked clueless, and looked to the rest of them.

"And what does that mean?" She asked, eyes tracing Lance's ankle and shoulder, trying to determine what exactly was wrong- because the blue paladin was clearly in pain, but it was hard for her to discern what the source of the injury was, since she didn't see any blood.

"Dislocation." Keith spoke up this time. "You know, when a joint gets pulled too hard and end up out of the socket?"

Allura and Coran's eyes widened, and she brought a hand to her mouth. 

"That sounds simply horrible! How did you manage to even move?" She asked, aghast. Coran had frozen, and now quickly was going through several storage containers, muttering about finding something to help with the healing. 

"Why didn't you say anything earlier? We can divert energy back to the healing pods, enough to help Lance."

Lance shook his hand. "No, no need. If you bring the pods back online, then it'll divert power from the defence system, right? We can't risk leaving the castle vulnerable. Besides, it'll be over quickly. We just have to shove my bones back into place. Which, by the way, I'd rather do sooner than later. This is really uncomfortable."

Shiro seemed uncertain, but then Lance looked straight at him. "Por favor."

And how could Shiro say no to that. He sighed and nodded, stepping up, firmly placing his hands on Lance's arm. Keith took up his place behind Lance, ready to brace. Allura and Coran watched with bated breath.

"Okay. On the count of three..."

Hunk reminded Lance to breath.

"One....two..." Shiro tightened his grip on Lance's arm, legs tensed.

"Three!" Shiro jerked lance's arm, feeling it pop back into place. Lance tried flinching back, but Keith was there to prevent him from retreating. Lance yelped, hand squeezing Pidge's, but she didn't complain. He breathed harshly, groaning.

"Quiznak!" He slumped backwards, but Keith was there to support him.

"There we go buddy..." Shiro whispered soothingly, gently stroking the nape of his neck in a comforting manner, and it helped to relax him once again. "How does that feel?"

"Urgh...better I guess. Still burns a little..." Shiro hummed empathetically. 

"Yeah, it will bud. We'll sort out some painkillers for you. But now we need to tackle that ankle of yours, okay? Hunk, you ready?"

Hunk was pale but nodded. Despite his shakiness, he would do anything to help one of his best friends. Allura was now sitting nearby, looking shaken. She scooted closer, placing one hand on Lance's head. He looked up and smiled as brightly as he could to reassure her. Coran similarly was basically bouncing in place, resisting the urge to also crowd around him, but he didn't want to overwhelm the poor boy.

"Don't worry princess, soon I'll be good as new!" He said as confidently as he could. She gave a small smile, running a hand through his hair, and he sighed, relaxing even more. He nodded at Hunk who was waiting for his word.

"Here goes nothing..." He counted down slowly, grip firm and unwavering as he cleanly pushed his foot back into place. Lance tensed again, gritting his teeth and eyes clenched shut, barely holding back a screech.

"Oh fuck!" He yelped, squeezing Pidge's hand painfully.

"Sorry sorry- sorry was that too much?" Hunk asked worriedly. Shiro brushed back Lance's hair from his forehead that was coated in a thin sheen of sweat. Lance inhaled and exhaled carefully.

"No, no. You're good Hunk. It just, well, just hurt. Feels better now though." He said, flopping backwards into his friends' arms. He winced, shoulders and ankle still throbbing.

"Here." Pidge placed something into his hand. It looked like a tablet? He looked at her questioningly.

"It should help with the pain for now. I can work on replicating some painkillers and stuff..." She began mumbling under her breath. Lance smiled warmly and swallowed the pill dry. He shivered and yawned.

"Yeah, we definitely all need some rest." Keith said, not as tense as he was before. Shiro nodded.

"Agreed. Lance, take it easy with that shoulder and ankle. When we can, we'll put you in a pod to help with any pain later, but the second best thing at the minute would be to rest and stay hydrated. He looked to Allura for permission.

Allura blinked, glancing with worry at Lance before nodding. "Yes, of course. We can debrief more once you have all rested. And I would like a more detailed explanation on what just happened."

The paladins all sighed in relief, exhausted. With the dismissal, Shiro and Hunk helped Lance up and began leading him to the common room. They all decided that after that, they wanted to keep an eye on Lance and Lance certainly wouldn't disagree with spending more time with his friends- this family. Pidge walked ahead, already planning the best and most efficient way to build a pillow fort, and Keith followed behind, eye trained on Lance and the way he walked.

Allura and Coran stayed behind, watching after them.

"Well that was certainly....something." Coran muttered, fingering his moustache. Allura sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Unbelievable...a limb becoming out of place and then just...pushing it back into place? With no pain relief at all? It's a surprise he's still conscious." 

Coran nodded, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"Our paladins are strong. It seems there are still some things we don't know about them. It's hard to remember sometimes, since we are aesthetically mostly similar, but humans are still massively different from us Alteans. I think tonight has showed just how much more we have to learn of our new paladin friends."

Allura smiled, comforted by his words.

"You're right Coran. We should put some more effort into learning about their culture, and about humans. Especially since they're so unknown. It's still surprising how a planet in such a vacant area of the galaxy created such beings."

"Surely it's purely a sign of their resilience."

Allura smiled and nodded, starting to walk after the paladins.

"We still have much to learn from each other."

Chapter Text

Pidge’s eyes burned. She was hunched over in front of her laptop, had been for the last few vargas. It had been something of a 'light' day. The paladins had training in the morning, but free for the rest of the day, and as soon as she was dismissed, Pidge had settled down and whipped out her laptop from…somewhere.

She wasn’t doing much. Well, running through the usual security codes and seeing what signals she could receive, from either friend or foe. But that was the easy part anyways. She could do all that and more with her eyes closed!

She didn’t have anything urgent to do, and she was itching with the urge- the need to do something productive. Restless. Despite knowing that her dad and Matt were safe, she still worried. Worried about her mom, about Bae Bae, about her grandparents and if her dad had enough supplies, if Earth would be okay-

Pause. Deep breathe. Don't go there.

Pidge groaned, rubbing her eyes and pushing her glasses out the way.

Yeah, she was mostly just looking for distractions at this point. And if she couldn’t find or code anything, then she would do something else.

Her mind turned to a few cycles ago when Lance had dislocated his shoulder, and how confused Coran and Allura were. It honestly was to be expected and was a long-time coming but the Alteans didn’t have a very good idea on how humans worked. Sure, Alteans and Humans looked similar, and slept and ate and everything else. But they seemed to be more different than expected, although Pidge did have some theories on how exactly that worked. But admittedly she would need Lance and Hunk’s help. Maybe Keith and Shiro could pitch in too…

Basically, they realised that they needed to start educating their alien hosts on humans and what it meant to be human, to avoid any possible confusion in the future. So Pidge had decided to start creating a powerpoint of all things. Yep, a powerpoint. Simple, easy and relatively quick. But Pidge being Pidge was being as thorough as possible and as such had been delving through as many topics as she could, just in case it came up.

Since it was a sort of rest day for everyone, they were taking the rare time off to rest together. Even Keith and Shiro were taking it easy. Especially since they could still be called out for a mission anytime they received a distress signal. Nevertheless, they would gladly take whatever chance they could to relax and recuperate while they could. And they all did so in different ways.

Pidge, obviously, played around with her tech. She was working on rebuilding Rover, since she had uhh...'borrowed' the blueprints from one of the Galran ships. It's not like it was impossible to gather the materials. Heh. It wasn't impossible even if she didn't have the materials or blueprints. Even if it seems impossible, her spite served as more than enough fuel. Regardless, working on codes or security or tech was more than enough to soothe that restless itch underneath her skin. A soft rumble echoed in the back of her head, feeling a pang of pride as Green mentally sent waves of firm calmness. Pidge sighed and relaxed, smiling as she sent back gratitude through the bond she shared with her lion. It was an odd sensation, feeling the phantom sensation of Green's quintessence curl around her protectively.

Hunk was busy in the kitchen, experimenting with a few potential recipes with new ingredients they had gathered and received from their last few missions and excursions. One planet they had aided was absolutely covered in purple plants and shrubs, the lilac forest spanning as far as the eye could see. And the planet was covered in berries and roots of all kinds. As thanks for Voltron's aid, the locals had been more than happy to send them off with multiple crates of as many of the varieties they wished for. And that was just from one planet they visited.

It went without saying that Hunk was having the time of his life cooking and baking with ingredients no other human chef had used before. It was a lot of trial and error but he was actually getting super close to replicating some human dishes. Even Lance had helped out, being surprisingly adept in the kitchen, but obviously Hunk outshined all of them when it came to culinary talent.

Lance had gone for a long swim in the castle pool, something he did whenever he had the chance. It was obvious that Lance suffered from homesickness, and missed his home and family. Swimming in the pool, although it didn't come close to Verradera beach, was the closest he could get to some semblance of his family. Plus, it was enjoyable!

Keith and Shiro, unsurprisingly, had spent the morning training together to work off some excess energy. Keith was just grateful for any time he could spend together with Shiro, after he was missing for a year. 

After their workout, they had joined Pidge in the common area, just relaxing. Lance and Hunk joined them not soon after, and the room was filled with smiles and light-hearted talk. Allura and Coran joined them as well. Coran had spent the day doing some menial chores and cleaning, humming to himself as he worked, happy to just keep himself busy and watch over the Princess and Paladins.

Shiro smiled as he looked from each of the paladins. A day to relax was exactly what they all needed.

Pidge was still busy with her laptop, sat with her legs folded on the floor. Lance sat on the sofa behind her with Hunk. Lance smiled, nudging her with his foot.

"C'mon Pidgeon, today's no day for work. Put the laptop down and let's play some games!"

"Games? What are we, five?" Keith asked with a raised brow.

"Why not?" the Cuban shrugged, "It'll be like team bonding but, ya know, fun." The Blue Paladin grinned, poking at Keith who huffed and swatted his hand away.

"Games? What re you all thinking of?" Allura's sweet voice asked, head tilting curiously.

"Ya know, things like two truths and a lie, or charades, or even that one game where everyone reaches hands in the middle and then has to untangle themselves?"

"That would be nice. I don't see why not." Shiro agreed with a nod at Lance, who preened.

Pidge sighed but nodded. She wasn't making much progress anyway. She closed her laptop and moved it to the side. She stretched upwards with a groan. Geez, she was so stiff.

As a result of sitting so hunched up for hours at a time on a metal floor meant her body was more than unhappy with her. As she reached up, arms stretched above her head, a series of pops sounded from her back and shoulders. She groaned in relief it provided.

Immediately, Coran and Allura flinched, looking at her in horror, and in less than a blink Allura and Coran were in front of her. They looked panicked, as an understatement. The other paladins looked confused at their worry. Allura gently cupped Pidge's face, tilting Pidge's face from side to side worriedly, while Coran flitted from side to side, hands hovering above Pidge's shoulders.

"Holy Quiznack! Do not move Number Five! We'll escort you to the Medway immediately. Luckily I think I finally got a handle on painkillers and anaesthesia for you Earthlings. We'll get t over in a jiffy!"

"Oh stars, Pidge. Don't worry, I know this certainly can't be pleasant. Let it all out." Allura hugged Pidge protectively, being careful as she could. Pidge stared in disbelief at the others, confusion written all over their faces.

"Uh- guys?" Hunk's brow was furrowed but Coran just carried on, lifting Pidge's arm, feeling along it carefully.

"How much pain are you in? Rate from Snorflak to Whalgin."

"Oh dear, oh dear. Paladins, you have more experience with this than Coran and I, we'll need your experience to help Pidge." Allura looked at them with a firm set to her jaw. She seriously thought Pidge had hurt herself. The others were still speechless, Shiro blinking as he tried processing the situation, his own eyes scanning Pidge's form as if to assess for any hidden injuries, and Pidge resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Guys, I'm fine!"

"Now, there's no need to put on a brave front. We know what you paladins are like, always pretending to be fine. So courageous..." Coran sniffed, patting Pidge's head.

Shiro cleared his throat pointedly, standing and stepping closer.

"Uh..of course we'd be more than happy to assist you, but may I ask what exactly you believe has happened?" He posed the question carefully. Allura frowned, one hand rubbing Pidge's back carefully.

"Well..with those cracks it seems perfectly clear that Pidge has, what did you call it? Oh yes- dislocated some parts of herself like Lance the other Quintent, has she not?"

....

A long pause. Lance snorts, covering his mouth as his shoulders shake, a mixture of amusement and relief at the misunderstanding. Hunk relaxes, leaning back against the sofa with a sigh, one hand on his heart. Keith smiles as well, eyes rolling good-naturedly. Shiro looks at them reprimandingly, but he smiles while shaking his head.

Pidge herself groans, gently pushing the Alteans away, thennfixing her glasses back into proper position from where they had been pushed into a slight crooked position.

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding here guys." She said with a sigh, pointedly ignoring the others' sniggering and batting away Lance's hand as he playfully tried to ruffle her hair.

Allura and Coran blinked as they took in everyone's relaxed stature and lack of panic, unlike the worry they showed when Lance had returned with the injury.

Shiro nodded, leading the conversation.

"Princess, Coran, Pidge didn't dislocate anything. She's not injured."

"But- what about those awful cracks? They were clearly from Number Five's body when she moved!" Coran exclaimed, hesitantly poking Pidge's shoulders, which she resolutely ignored.

"That wasn't dislocation. I just...popped my joints." Pidge said with a shrug.

"How is popping your joints any different from them being pulled out the socket?" Allura asked, slightly calmer than before.

"They weren't removed from the socket. It's...well to be honest, we're not a hundred percent certain on what it's caused by, but most people agree that the noise is from gas releasing from between the joints, and it's harmless."

Shiro adds in, "Some people claim it's harmful, but there aren't many studies to support it. For the most part it's harmless. It's actually a little relieving." He said with a nod. Lance grins and nods.

"Yep! Like this!" He then proceeds to crack all his knuckles, even his fingers. Hunk cringes.

"Aw man, do you seriously have to do it?' He cringes, and Lance just laughs. "Sorry buddy."

"So Pidge...isn't injured?"

"Nope." Pidge stood up, stretching some more, a few minor cracks sounding out. She sighs and stretches her hands out.

"See? Perfectly fine."

Coran and Allura accept that, and smile apologetically.

"Sorry, Pidge. We're still getting used to all of you, and we just didn't want you to be hurt."

"Don't worry Princess." Keith pipes in then, smiling warmly at the princess. "We understand. But we're also not that delicate. Believe me, if we are hurt and injured, then the rest of us will let you know."

"Now that that's over, who's up to play charades?" Hunk asked. The rest of them agreed, sitting down and starting the game.

Yeah, Pidge will definitely need to finish that powerpoint on Humans soon.