Chapter Text
This whole thing started because Lance was showing off. It’s a problem he has. Honestly, it’s a reflex at this point. Sure, they were just training, so it’s not as big of a deal as it could have been, but he still did it, and that should count for something.
Lance jumps onto the couch, swinging his legs over with ease. “Did you guys see the way me ‘n Blue totally destroyed the giant Gladiator?” He lets out a laugh and grins. “Oh, man, I wish I could connect with your lions, just to hear how impressed they are.”
Like usual, everyone around him groans. If Lance can’t get a round of applause, he’ll accept those instead. He turns his head to face Keith, who has also made his way over towards the couch. He looks only mildly irritated. Time to change that. Lance’s grin grows.
“I bet Red was amazed, right Keith? If only I could be the paladin of two lions. ‘Course, Blue totally is the best…”
Keith gives him a flat look, then replies, “Red doesn’t care.”
There’s no fire, no hint of jealousy or anything. Which makes it true. Keith would have rolled his eyes, or walked out of the room if it wasn’t. “What do you mean Red doesn’t care? We kicked ass today!” If Red can’t appreciate what a good team that Lance makes with his lion, then Red is sorely lacking in intelligence. He pushes himself up on the couch so that he’s leaning forward in Keith’s direction.
“It wasn’t a real fight anyway,” Keith points out. “You caught a level 1 Gladiator by surprise when Pidge was distracting it. Do you think that tactic will work on a Galra soldier?”
Lance doesn’t know why Keith can’t see the fact that what he did was impressive. And why his lion wouldn’t see that either. They’re all part of the same team, aren’t they? Without Blue, they can’t form Voltron.
“Uh, newsflash, it’s already worked on a Galra soldier. Or was Red not paying attention then, either?”
Keith sighs heavily. Good, he should be annoyed. “Lance, if you were fighting the Galra, then so were we. So no, Red didn’t notice.”
For whatever reason, this irritates Lance to no end. He is just as valuable to the team as everyone else, and the fact that Red can’t admit that is unjustified. He’s about to list all the reasons why Red is the worst lion until he hears Pidge groan loudly.
“Guys, we just got back,” Pidge complains. Their hair is all mussed up from the helmet. It’s adorable, but really, they should be using the conditioner that Lance found back on this alien planet. Paladins should look the part as well as fight against tyranny. When people meet their heroes, they are expecting some good looking mother fuckers. “Can we do this later? We’re all tired.”
“First off, no,” Lance says. He wants to get to the bottom of this. Before he gets to his next point, Pidge is already walking away, grumbling about how annoying he’s being. Well. That’s fair. “Second of all, Red should be more friendly towards the other lions! Does Red even like anyone?”
“What does it matter? She’s not your lion,” Keith says.
“Yellow likes you, Lance,” Hunk chimes in. Good ol’ Hunk. Of all the people that went into space to become a part of team Voltron, Lance is happiest that Hunk made it up here with him. He’s not only a leg that helps carry Voltron to victory, but he helps keep him sane in these dark times.
Lance smiles in his direction. “Thanks, buddy. Blue likes you right back.” He gives Keith a look as well, implying that Blue does not like Keith at all. Which isn’t strictly true. Blue, like Yellow, kind of likes everyone. Honestly, he kind of figured it be like that for every lion. Apparently not. “Don’t you think Red should take a page out of their books? Maybe act a little friendlier?”
Keith rolls his eyes. Again. As if he’s the one here who is really suffering. Who knows? This behavior could affect Voltron which in turn would affect the entire universe! So yes, Red should get her act together. Just admit for once that Lance deserves some recognition.
“I’m going to hit the training deck.” Keith says to no one in particular. They just finished up training. Lance would never go back so quickly after everything they just did. After a long day, it’s good to kick back and relax, but...
The conversation leaves him feeling unsettled. He was just joking about Red’s approval, but knowing that he doesn’t have it leaves a pit at the bottom of his stomach. They’re supposed to get along right? They’re a team. So how can he make sure that he and Red get along?
You know, for Volton’s sake.
“Lance…” Hunk comes over to his side, a nervous energy coming off of him like wisps. “I know that look. Don’t let what Keith says get to you. I’m sure that Red likes you just like everyone else’s lion does.”
Except he’s sure that Red doesn’t. It doesn’t make any sense. He hasn’t done anything to earn Red’s disdain. “Yeah, why wouldn’t Red like me? I don’t think I’ve ever bumped into her or whatever.”
There was the time when he did that kick and all of team Voltron fell, but that was just once. Or twice? Either way, an honest mistake.
“I dunno, man, but let it go,” Hunk implores. “Even Allura said that Red was temperamental. It’s probably just really hard to impress her.”
Lance groans and slides down the couch. Then, a determined smile spreads across his face. Letting it go is not in Lance’s repertoire. So why should he? He is going to do everything in his power to make sure that Red is aware of how likable he actually is. All he needs to do is come up with a battle plan.
Get ready, Red. Lance is on the prowl.
-
First, he must get intel. The most unfortunate part of this plan is the only one he can get information from is Keith. How can he approach this? The guy is permanently on edge like… like the edgelord he is. After giving himself a mental high five, he heads to the training deck where he knows Keith is probably lurking.
Training isn’t Lance’s favorite thing. As much as he loves showing off, he hates how lanky his body is compared to some of the other paladins, and would rather do his workout in his room. Too bad Allura and Coran frequently make them do stupid things together all the time. Ah, to meet someone new who wasn’t also an alien. That’s the dream.
The door to the training deck whooshes open. Lance can tell that Keith is totally in the zone. He doesn’t even turn to spare him a look. It’d be so easy to surprise him. Maybe the bot would even kick his butt while he was distracted. That’d be funny as hell, but he’s not that big of an asshole. Instead, he leans against the wall and watches.
It’s not like Lance pays close attention to Keith’s workout or anything, but he can tell that he’s improved. Where a level 3 training sequence used to be too difficult, he’s cutting through level 4 pretty well. Not with ease, but with time he knows that Keith will excel, just like the bastard excels at everything.
About five minutes later, the Gladiator is defeated. Keith grins and wipes the sweat off his forehead. Before he can call out to start all over, Lance interrupts him by whistling loudly.
Keith frowns, his nose wrinkling a little. It’s the dumbest observation Lance has ever made about him yet. “Hey, I gotta ask you a question!” He says while run-walking towards the other paladin.
“What.” Keith says flatly. It’s not a ‘no’, or a ‘go away’, so Lance thinks that his annoyance levels are pretty low. Instead, he’s just reaching for the water packet that was left nearby. He probably stole it from the kitchen at some point.
While he takes a sip, Lance asks, “What does Red like to do in her downtime?” As soon as the question pops out, he realizes that this may not have been his best course of action. The feeling only gets stronger when he sees Keith’s face grow more puzzled by the second.
“What are you talking about? Why?” He asks suspiciously.
Lance puts his hands up placatingly. Lie, lie fast.
“Just curious. All our lions have personalities you know. Now that they’re not trapped in floating science bubbles, I thought I’d get to know the underappreciated part of the team.” It’s definitely not the best lie, but Keith seems to buy it.
“Red likes flying.” He says, as if it’s obvious.
“What? In her downtime? That’s what we do all the time anyway!” Lance can’t exactly go out and fly Red. He’s not sure who would kill him first, her or Keith.
Keith crosses his arms, the waterpack already emptied. “What did you expect? What does Blue do when she’s not in battle?”
Lance lifts a finger to explain, but realizes that yeah, Blue pretty much likes the same thing. She probably likes going swimming too, but they haven’t been to a water based planet in forever. “What, so you don’t wash her? Give her a nice wax from time to time?”
“I take care of Red well enough on my own, thanks,” Keith’s confused frown is morphing into a more irritated glare.
“Whoa, chill dude,” Lance replies. “I really am curious.” How can sentient, magic lions be okay with being cooped up all the time anyway? They must communicate with one another. Lance wonders what they say about him. After spending 10,000 years apart, they’ve got to have some gossip to catch up on. “Haven’t you wondered?”
Keith’s shoulders slowly lose their tension. “I make sure to fly her whenever possible. Not always easy out here. So yeah, I’ve thought about it.”
Hm, so if Red likes flying, maybe Lance can go out with Keith one of these days, fly around with them. They can have a race and everything. Since it’s his idea to get them all out of the castle, he’s sure that Red will finally appreciate him. “So let’s go do it sometime, right? Me n’ Blue, you and Red. Set up an obstacle course or something. We’ll see who’s really the fastest.”
What was once a frown transforms into a smirk. “Wouldn’t be much of a race. Red is objectively the fastest.”
Lance’s blood boils. “I said obstacle course, not race! Flying the fastest might not be all that useful you if you can’t pass through a ring of fire!”
“Where would you get a ring of fire?”
“That’s not the point. I’m saying that me and Blue could definitely get through an obstacle course, or a maze, way faster than you guys.” Lance ends up mirroring Keith, crossing his arms. “Unless of course, you’re just scared to face the facts that I’m a better pilot than you?”
Keith scowls. Good. He shouldn’t get all cocky over a stupid race. He can’t predict the future. Lance can’t wait to see the look on his face when he totally wins. Oh, and when Keith tells him that Red won’t respond to him anymore because she prefers Lance now.
“You’re on.” Keith says.
It’s so easy to goad Keith into a competition, it’s almost pathetic. Still, Lance is excited for another chance to prove himself. For one of the lions to think he’s not good enough for this team is unacceptable. They’re all fighting the same cause, aren’t they?
“I bet Allura and Coran have some Voltron training regime leftover they’d be willing to lend to us,” Lance says. “I’ll be meeting you at the finish line.” He grins, trying to convey more confidence than he was feeling. What could possibly go wrong?